One Way Or Another
by NaleyNaley2312
Summary: The last six months of their relationship were spent arguing over everything. The only thing that held them together was their son, Jamie. Eventually, it became too much for Nathan and Haley, and they called it quits. Nearly four years later, they're still trying to manage.
1. Chapter 1

**I know, I know. I should work on the stories I already have before starting a new one but I recently thought of this and thought it would be fun to write. I've always liked stories where Nathan and Haley find their way back to each other. I'm still testing the waters with this story, so let me know how you feel!**

 **Just a little background for you:**

 **Nathan and Haley are about 24 in this story, Jamie is almost 5. Their friendship started in their junior year of high school, and they started dating shortly after senior year. They were engaged until shorty after Jamie's first birthday when they decided it would be best if they ended things, but have remained of semi-good terms for Jamie's benefit. Nathan plays for the Charlotte Hornets and Haley is a teacher at Tree Hill High School**

 **More will be explained as the story goes on!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Chapter 1**

Haley set her hair straightener down, unplugging it and adjusting the dress she was wearing slightly and letting out a deep breath, turning to face her four year old son. "Well, Jamie? What do you think?" She asked him, smiling slightly.

"You look pretty, Mama." Jamie informed her, giving her a thumbs up.

"Oh, why thank you." She hummed, bending over and kissing him on the forehead. She smiled slightly, wiping the lipstick off his face. "Sorry, buddy."

"When is Daddy going to be here?" Jamie questioned her, frowning slightly.

"He said he'd be here soon, don't worry. He wouldn't miss it." She informed him, looking at herself in the mirror. "Are you sure I look okay?"

"You look smoking hot!" Jamie wlaughed, smiling up at her.

"James Lucas Scott, who taught you to talk like that?" She laughed, pinching her son's cheek.

"Uncle Skillz." Jamie informed her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Of course he did." Haley smiled down at him, rolling her eyes a bit. Her smile grew at the way Jamie's eyes lit up at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

He raced out of the bathroom and down the stairs, the red cape he was sporting flowing behind him.

"Jamie! Wait for me." She called out, hurrying after him.

She got down the stairs to see Jamie opening the door, and closing it, slinking back with a disappointed look on his face, sitting down on the ground in front of the couch.

"Not him." Jamie grumbled, letting out a deep breath, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Jamie, we don't slam the door in people's faces." Haley said to him, shaking her head and pulling the door open. "Sorry, Jesse. Come in." She said, smiling up at the tall, blonde haired man dressed in a black suit. "I'm just waiting on my sitter."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Jesse replied, smiling at her and kissing her cheek. "You look great, Haley."

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." She responded, closing the door and looking over at her sulking son. "I'm sorry about this, I guess he's just running a little late."

"He's still coming, right?" Jamie asked her, frowning and letting out a deep breath.

"Jamie, don't worry about it, buddy. He's still coming." She said, smiling slightly and nodding at her son, before looking up at Jesse. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Haley. I really don't mind." Jesse said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders hesitantly, smiling at her.

Haley smiled up at him, letting out a deep breath and nodding, forcing herself to relax a little bit.

Jamie jumped up to his feet as the door bell rang, and then rang about ten more times until he flung the door open, jumping into awaiting arms. "Daddy!" He yelled, pressing his face into his neck.

"Hey buddy!" Nathan said, hugging his son close to him, letting out a deep breath. "I missed you so much." He said softly, hugging him tighter and picking him up. "Dude! You've grown like a foot since I saw you. What are you, ten feet tall now?" He asked, winking at him.

"Close!" Jamie laughed, hugging his father tightly.

Haley met Nathan's gaze, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan, this is Jesse. Jesse, Nathan." She said, nodding at him.

Nathan shifted Jamie over so he was holding him up with one arm, shaking Jesse's hand quickly. "Nice to meet you." He said, hugging his son tightly.

"You too. Great season." Jesse said, glancing over at Haley.

"Thanks." Nathan said, shifting slightly and smiling down at Jamie. "Sure feels nice to be home though."

"I'll bet." Jesse said, looking at Haley. "Well, are you ready to go, babe?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Babe? He'd never called her that before. They'd only been on a couple dates, so she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for him to start calling her that. Part of her felt like he was doing it to stake some claim over her since Nathan was around, which was unnecessary.

Haley snapped herself out of her thoughts, nodding. "Yep. Why don't you go wait in the car? I have a couple things to talk to Nathan about." She said, smiling slightly.

Jesse nodded slowly, before walking past Nathan and heading to his car.

Nathan stepped into the house, setting Jamie down and looking at Haley. "He seems... Nice." He said, shrugging.

Haley sighed softly, looking up at him. "I packed Jamie's bag. I figured you could take him to your house." She said, nodding at their son. "Jamie, why don't you go get it?"

Jamie looked up at her, before shifting his eyes up to his father's, who nodded at him. He sighed, before racing up the stairs.

"Packed his bag? Things must be getting serious with this guy." Nathan said nonchalantly, kicking his foot at the ground.

"It's not like that, Nathan. I just figured you'd want to go home." Haley said, shaking her head.

"What is this, the third date?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes." She said, frowning at him. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"Whatever you say, babe." He said, putting emphasis on the word 'babe.'

"Stop it, Nathan." Haley shook her head at him. "If you should happen to stay here, I'll probably be home close to eleven. I usually let him watch T.V. until about 8:30 on the weekends. But no basketball, he gets too riled up and excited."

"Hey, I'm his parent too. I know what I'm doing. You do this every time." He laughed, nodding at her.

"You're right, you're right. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She said, letting out a deep breath. "I'm leaving, Jamie!" She called out.

Jamie rushed down the stairs, tugging his bag with him. "Bye, Mama!" He said, hugging her legs.

"Bye, baby. I love you. Have fun with Daddy." She said, running her fingers through his hair, nodding at Nathan. "Okay, I already fed him dinner but he might get hungry soon."

"Haley, I know what I'm doing." Nathan laughed, waving at her. "Go. Have fun, I guess. Be safe."

Haley looked at him, nodding slowly. "Thanks for watching him. Bye Jimmy Jam." She hummed, kissing Jamie's head and hugging him tightly. "See you tomorrow, baby." She said, nodding at her son, letting out a deep breath and heading out the door.

Nathan turned to Jamie, smiling brightly. "I missed you so much, buddy." He said, scooping him up and hugging him tightly. "Why don't we head over to my house and we can swim in the pool?"

Jamie grinned at him, hugging him tightly. "Yeah!" He cheered, nodding at him quickly. "Can I stay longer than one night?"

"We'll talk to your mom." Nathan hummed, picking up Jamie's backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. "You have everything? Tooth brush?"

Jamie nodded at him, "Yep! And I packed my Ravens jersey." He informed him.

"Maybe I'll get mine out and we can match." Nathan said, winking at him.

Jamie looked up at him, nodding quickly. "Yeah! Let's play basketball in them."

"You want to?" Nathan asked, grinning at him. "Alright, let's get going, buddy."

They arrived at Nathan's house a little while later, Jamie rushing into the house quickly. "I like your house." He said, looking up at him. "It's big and you let me bounce my ball in the house."

"Your moms house is just as nice, buddy." Nathan said, ruffling his hair. "I like being home, though. It's way more fun to hang out with you than with the team."

"I'm more fun than the Hornets?" Jamie asked with wide eyes.

"Of course!" Nathan said, looking around the quiet house. "You hungry?"

"Not right now." Jamie said, pulling his bag off his back. "Can I get my swimsuit on?"

Nathan smiled, nodding at him. "Yeah, go ahead." He said, running his fingers through his hair and watching his son run off. He let out a deep breath, heading up into his room as well, shutting the door quickly and pulling out his phone, punching in some numbers quickly.

After a few rings, the phone finally picked up.

"What do you need, Nate?" Brooke asked in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Good to hear from you too, Brooke. How've you been?" Nathan laughed, glancing towards the door.

"I'm a little busy right now. What do you need?" She asked him again, shaking her head.

"Oh. Uh, I'm just calling to ask about this Jesse guy." He said, setting his bag on his bed, unzipping it.

"Don't, Nathan. Don't ask about him because it's none of your business. What Haley wants you to know, she'll tell you." She grumbled, sighing softly.

"I just want to make sure he's a good guy." He responded, pulling his clothes out of the bag, laying them on his bed.

"Well he is. So stop it. Pay attention to Jamie, and don't worry about her. You've been broken up for a long time, Nathan. This isn't the first guy she's been on a date with since then, so don't think about it." Brooke said. "Now, are we done here?"

"I'm not doing this because I don't want her to find someone. I'm just making sure he's a good guy. But if you think he is, then he must be." He grumbled, letting out a deep breath. "Sorry for interrupting you. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, hanging out the phone and tossing it on the bed.

Jamie knocked at his bedroom door loudly, "Come on!" He yelled.

Nathan smiled, "Go start getting you water wings on, buddy! I'll be down there soon." He said, poking his head out the door, tapping his son's nose. "But don't go outside without me. Stay inside."

Jamie nodded his head, running off down the hall.

Nathan smiled slightly, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a deep breath, shaking his head. He checked his phone one more time, before walking over to his dresser, looking for his swimsuit.

A few hours later. Nathan woke up to the sound of his phone ringing, shaking his head and looking around the living room, moving Jamie's head off his arm and adjusting him so he was laying on the couch. He glanced at the time, letting out a small sigh. It was only 9:30. He grabbed his phone quickly, answering it quietly. "Hello?" He whispered.

"Hey, sorry. I'm just calling to check in." Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

"You don't need to check in, Haley. I know what I'm doing." Nathan chuckled, smiling at his son.

"I do it every time I go out, Nathan." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"You're a good mom, but you don't need to worry about him when he's with me." He said, yawning quietly.

"I worry about him constantly." She reminded him, sighing softly. "Are you guys having fun?"

"A lot of fun." He said, sitting down on the arm of the couch, smiling.

"Good. He's been bouncing off the walls all day." Haley informed him.

"So have I. He's asleep now, though." He hummed, picking up the remote and shutting off the TV. "We fell asleep watching some show."

"I'm glad you got him to wind down easily." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Well, I better go. I'll see you tomorrow morning? I figure you probably don't have much food at your house, so I can make breakfast."

"Sounds great. I'll see you then. Bye Hales. Call if you need anything." Nathan said, hanging up the phone and looking down at his son, smiling brightly. "Okay Jimmy Jam. Let's get you up to bed." He hummed, scooping up the small child quickly, turning off the lights and heading up the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Some people were saying how the last chapter didn't really seem like a first chapter, which I sort of agree with, and knew when I posted it. But I wasn't entirely sure how to start it without just jumping into were also some people saying that Brooke was being a little rude, which wasn't entirely intentional but while she's Nathan's friend too, it was meant to show that she doesn't want him to play with Haley's emotions.**

 **Anyways, thank you all for reading this story and all of my other stories! I'm constantly working on them when I have free time, sometimes it's just difficult to get my words flowing. Also, I just want to let everyone know right off the bat that it will be Brucas and Jeyton in this story, but their relationships won't be super important.**

 **Chapter 2**

After being woken up by Jamie fairly early to go play basketball at the Rivercourt, and being begged over and over for just one more game, they finally arrived back at Haley's house just before ten o'clock.

Nathan raised his eyebrows at the car that was outside Haley's home, unbuckling Jamie's seatbelt and picking him up, as well as his backpack. "Did you have fun, Jame?"

"So much." Jamie said, resting his head on Nathan's shoulder. "Can I stay again tonight?" He asked him, frowning.

"We'll talk about it." Nathan hummed, walking over to the front door, sighing softly at the locked door.

"I like playing basketball with you." Jamie informed him, nodding up at him.

"Yeah? Well I like playing basketball with you too. Better than anyone else." Nathan hummed, winking at him.

"Better than Uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked him, smiling.

"Don't tell him, but Uncle Lucas is kind of bad at basketball." Nathan joked, smirking slightly.

"He's better than me." Jamie said, shaking his head.

"Don't lie, Jamie! You're way better than he is." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. He set Jamie down, pulling his keys back out of his pocket and searching through them until he found the key Haley gave him, unlocking the door and pushing it open. He walked into the kitchen, setting Jamie down. "Haley?" He called out into the silent house, raising his eyebrows. "Alright, buddy. Let's see what your mom has to eat. Probably not anything good." He laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair.

A few seconds later, Haley came rushing down the stairs, tightening a bath robe around herself. "I'm sorry, I overslept." She said quickly. "Hey Jamie!" She said, walking over and kissing his head. "How was it?" She asked him, smiling down at him.

"Fun!" Jamie said, hugging his mother tightly. "We played basketball this morning. Daddy helped me dunk it." He smiled brightly, giving Nathan a thumbs up.

Nathan smiled at him, "You won't need my help much longer, Jame. The next year or so, you'll be jumping high enough to do it on your own."

Haley smiled at them, before letting out a deep breath. "Nathan, can I talk to you for a second?" She said, nodding at him slowly.

He looked at her, following her out of the kitchen and raising his eyebrows.

She sighed softly, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a deep breath. "Can you... Distract him for just another minute?"

"Uh, sure... Is everything okay?" He asked, nodding at her slowly.

"Yeah, just..." She sighed, glancing up the stairs.

"Oh... Oh! Yeah, I can distract him." Nathan said, rubbing his neck. "Yep." He said softly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey, it's a good thing I took Jamie to my place. What did I tell you about the third date?" He said, smirking slightly.

Haley shook her head, rubbing her hand down her face, "Nope. We aren't going to talk about this." She said, walking back up the stairs.

He frowned as soon as she was gone, letting out a small sigh and shaking his head, walking back into the kitchen. "Okay. Well let's have a look around." He hummed, pulling open the cupboards. "What kind of cereal is this?" He laughed, grabbing a box and raising his eyebrows. "You eat this stuff?"

"Sometimes." Jamie said, shrugging and climbing onto a chair.

"Gross, Jamie." Nathan laughed, looking over at him and shaking his head. "Is this the only type of cereal you have?"

"Yep. It's healthy." Jamie said, smiling at him. "Mama says I need to eat healthy."

"She used to eat sugary cereal all the time, Jamie. Don't let her fool you." Nathan said, glancing up to see Haley pushing Jesse down the stairs towards the door. He looked back at Jamie quickly, "Maybe we should go to the store. I can't eat this stuff, it's too healthy for me."

Jamie laughed, "You're supposed to eat healthy too." He pointed out.

"Jamie, I'm already big and strong." Nathan responded, shrugging. "So I don't need to eat healthy."

"Then you won't be able to play basketball anymore." Jamie said, shaking his head and looking up when Haley walked into the room again, waving at her. "He doesn't like our food."

"He never likes our food, Jamie. Go grocery shopping, Nathan." Haley said, waving her hand at him.

"I can't. I need help." He said, looking in the fridge. "Skim milk, Haley? You've got to be kidding me."

"It tastes the same, and it's healthier." Haley said, crossing her arms. "Plus, you don't need help grocery shopping."

"I do. Because I don't know what to buy." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"We can go with you." Jamie said, gesturing to himself then to Haley.

"Oh, I don't know... I think he's a big boy and can do his own shopping." Haley said, shrugging slightly.

"Yeah, I don't want her help. She buys healthy cereal and skim milk." Nathan joked, smiling over at Haley.

Haley rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Okay, what do you guys want for breakfast?"

"What do you have for breakfast?" Nathan asked, sitting next to Jamie.

"I have cereal, and toast, or I could make you something." She said, leaning against the counter.

"You should make us some waffles." Jamie said, nodding at Nathan.

"I like the sound of that." Nathan said, winking at Jamie. "But maybe, instead we can go grocery shopping and I can take you both out to breakfast."

Jamie looked at her expectantly, nodding quickly. "Can we?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Haley trailed off, shrugging slightly. "I have some papers to grade."

Jamie sighed softly, sinking back into his chair. "Please?"

She looked over at them, letting out a deep breath. "Alright, fine." She agreed. "But let me get ready. You need to get ready too, mister." She said, kissing Jamie's head. "Nathan, looks like you'll just have to look as awful as you always do." She teased him, winking.

"Funny." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "I'm going to go home and shower. I'll come pick you guys up in about... Twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good." Haley said, nodding at him.

Jamie stood up on his chair, jumping to Nathan, who caught him quickly.

"Bye buddy. I'll see you soon, okay?" Nathan laughed, setting him back down. "Twenty minutes."

"Don't be late." Jamie said, shaking his finger at him.

"You are your mother's son." Nathan laughed, ruffling his hair and smiling at Haley. "Twenty minutes, on the dot." He hummed, looking at his watch. "I'll be here at 10:12."

"Okay, see you soon." Jamie waved at him, looking up at Haley.

Nathan nodded, smiling brightly and heading out of the house, waving at them.

"So, how was it?" Haley asked, smiling down at Jamie.

"I wish we all lived in the same house." Jamie huffed, crossing his arms and sighing.

She kissed the top of his head, nodding down at him. "I know. Well, I missed you last night." She hummed, kneeling down in front of him and pulling him into a hug.

"What did you do?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Just went to dinner." She informed him, rubbing his back. "You went swimming, hm?"

"How did you know?" He questioned, shrugging.

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I can smell the chlorine. Which means, you need to take a bath. So come on, Jamie. Up the stairs we go."

Jamie had talked them into going out for ice cream after they'd eaten, of course. Then he convinced them into taking him to the park. The two of them were sitting on a bench, watching him play.

"I can't believe that kid talked us into getting him ice cream right after we ate breakfast." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"He uses his cuteness to his advantage." Nathan responded, looking over at her and smiling slightly.

"He really does." She said, shaking her head and smiling out at their son.

He watched her for a second, nodding his head. Them spending time together was not uncommon. They tried their best to be friendly, especially when Jamie was around. When Nathan was home, they would often spend time together as a family, as well as make sure Nathan had his alone time with Jamie. He loved watching her with Jamie though. She was a natural mother, and had been from the second their son was born. He could tell just by the look in her eye how much Haley adored their son, and he could also tell how much he adored and looked up to Haley. He looked away when her eyes met his, smiling slightly and looking at the ground.

Haley looked at Nathan, before looking back out at Jamie as he went down the slide. She cleared her throat, "So, how's Kylie doing?" She asked softly, keeping her gaze on her son.

"Kylie? Oh, uh... We broke up." He said, shrugging.

"Give me a second while I remove my foot from my mouth." She said, shaking her head and sighing softly.

"Don't worry about it." Nathan laughed, smiling at her. "I'm not torn up or anything."

"Well, I'm sorry about your break up but I'm glad that you're not upset." She said, nodding at him.

"So... This guy that was in your house this morning." He began, looking out at Jamie.

"Jesse." She said, shifting slightly. "He works at the Tree Hill High School. He's a science teacher." She informed him, sighing softly.

"Jesse what?" Nathan asked, looking over at her.

"Jesse Martin." She said, glancing over at him.

"Think he'll get another date?" He questioned her, looking down at the ice cream cup in his hand.

"We don't need to talk about this, you know." Haley said to him, shaking her head.

"I'm just curious." He said, waving at Jamie.

"Well then, yes. There'll most likely be another date." She said, sighing softly.

"What does Jamie think of him?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"There hasn't been much interaction between the two of them." She said, looking over at him. "But I'm sure he'll like him. He's been alright with other guys I've dated."

"Cool." Nathan said softly, leaning back and letting out a deep breath. "Hey." He said, nodding at her. "You've got some ice cream on your face."

"Dammit. Where is it?" She asked him, laughing.

He dipped his finger in his ice cream, brushing it down her face. "Right there."

Haley raised her eyebrows, pushing at his arm and laughing. "You're a jerk." She said, rolling her eyes, raising her hand to wipe ice cream on his cheek.

"Nope." Nathan said, standing up quickly. "What's that Jamie? You want me to come push you on the swings? Coming!" He called out to his son, picking him up off the play ground, heading over to the swings and smirking slightly.

Nathan walked into his brother's house later that night, looking around and raising his eyebrows. "Luke?" He called out, walking down the hall to the kitchen.

"Hey Nate." Lucas said, smiling at him. "Long time no see, little brother!" He said, walking over to him from the sink, hugging him quickly. "Sucks about Game 7."

"Yeah, I thought you guys were coming to the game." Nathan said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I meant to call but something came up." Lucas said, nodding at him slowly. "I know you really wanted Jamie there, I'm sorry man."

"I played like shit anyways. It's better that he doesn't see those games." Nathan said, opening Lucas' fridge. "Where's Brooke?"

"She should be back soon. She's picking up dinner." Lucas informed him, nodding. "You staying?"

"No, Jamie is coming over again." Nathan said, shrugging.

"I bet you missed him, huh?" Lucas asked, smiling slightly.

"I miss him every time I'm away from him. Hell, I even miss him right now. Haley just said she needs to make sure he does his homework and practices piano. She told me he wouldn't get anything done if I'm there." He laughed, shaking his head. "I could help him with his homework though. I mean, how hard can a preschoolers homework be? Maybe I should buy a piano and he can practice at my house."

"Don't do that, he hates piano." Lucas laughed, nodding. "Let Haley do the boring stuff. You get to be the fun parent."

"Haley is fun too." Nathan said, shaking his head and sitting down at the table.

Lucas looked at him, raising his eyebrows. "I've known her most of my life, Nate. She's not that fun." He joked, smiling. "Speaking of fun and Haley... How's her date go?"

"I don't know. He was there when I got there this morning." Nathan said, shrugging.

"You seemed a little concerned on the phone, according to my wife." Lucas said, raising his eyebrows. "I was the thing she was busy with."

"I just wanted to make sure he was a good guy. If he's going to be around my son, I don't want to have to worry about him treating either of them badly." Nathan said, shrugging.

"That's it? Because you're an awesome brother, man. But I don't want to see Haley hurting again. Or you, of course. But you took off. So no one really saw you unless you were with Jamie and you were always happy with Jamie." Lucas said, nodding at him.

"I'm not going to get in the middle of this, Luke. She has a right to be happy, and I'm not upset. It was a little uncomfortable to see her with him, but that's it. Our relationship is fine." Nathan said simply, glancing at the time. "You work at the school, right? What do you know about him?"

"I'm a basketball coach, Nathan. I don't talk to anyone that works there but Haley." He laughed, shrugging.

"Oh right. You just mooch off Brooke's money." Nathan said, smirking slightly.

"Not true, at all. And you know it." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"But seriously? You don't know anything about him?" Nathan asked, sighing softly.

"I know that he's asked her out quite a bit, but she's always been busy, but they finally made time and now she's been on some dates with him. Brooke describes him as Mr. Dreamy, but besides that I don't know much. When it comes to guys, she talks to Brooke more. So I'm the wrong person to be talking to. But Brooke probably won't tell you anything." Lucas said, beginning to put the dishes away.

"Why do you think he's asked her out so many times?" Nathan questioned him.

"He likes her?" Lucas shrugged, "I don't know, man. You talk to him."

"Hm. Maybe I will." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"I was kidding." Lucas said, raising his eyebrows.

"I know, but we'll see what happens." Nathan responded, looking up when Brooke walked into the house. "Hey Brooke."

Brooke looked over at him, setting the bag with takeout boxes on the counter. "Hey Nate! It's good to see you." She said, hugging him quickly. "Lucas told me I was rude to you on the phone last night, sorry buddy, but not all of us can have sex once and get someone pregnant."

"Wait, what? Are you guys trying to have a baby?" Nathan asked, looking over at his brother and smiling.

"Oh! We weren't telling people." Brooke said, shaking her head and looking at Lucas. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Lucas laughed, smiling at her.

"My lips are sealed. And I would just like to clarify that we had sex more than once before she got pregnant." He said, nodding at Brooke.

"Try to get her to admit that." Brooke said, winking at him.

"Will you tell me more about this guy?" Nathan asked, standing up slowly.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, sweet, sweet Nathan. Of course not. She'll tell you what she feels like is necessary for you to know. It's not my place to tell you."

"He spent the night last night." Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not upset or anything, I was just shocked."

"That bitch! She didn't even tell me." Brooke exclaimed, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't tell her I told you that." He said quickly, waving his hands. "I have to go."

"Hey Nate?" Brooke said, resting her hand on his arm. "Just remember that you deserve to be happy, and so does she."

Nathan nodded at her, "I know. I just want to make sure he's a good guy if he's going to be around my son. That's it."

"Okay." Brooke said, shrugging her shoulders.

"It's true." Nathan said, scowling.

"I said okay." Brooke laughed, looking at Lucas.

"I'm going to go pick up my son." Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "Bye Luke." He said, waving at his brother, heading out of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you guys like this one! Thank you all for reading.**

 **Chapter 3**

Haley let out a deep breath at the whispering that was going on behind her. She ignored it at first, but it slowly became more frustrating because she knew no one was listening to a word she was saying. She turned away from the whiteboard and looking at her classroom full of students.

"Okay, guys. I know that the school year is almost over, but you still have to take your finals and I'm going over the study guide with you right now. What's so important that it can't wait until after class?" She asked them, looking out at them and shaking her head.

"Uh, Nathan Scott is standing outside of your classroom." One girl spoke up, nodding towards the door.

Haley followed her gaze, and sure enough, there he was. She let out a small sigh, "Okay. I'll be right back. Please just work on the study guide, and I won't give you homework over the weekend." She said, shaking her head and walking out of the class, looking at Nathan and raising her eyebrows.

"Hey." Nathan said, shoving his hands into his pockets, looking around.

"I'm in the middle of a class, Nathan. And you're distracting my students. Plus, this looks unprofessional." She said, crossing her arms and sighing softly.

"I know, I know." He said, shrugging slightly. "I just wanted to know if it was okay if I picked up Jamie early?"

Haley glanced at the clock in the hallway. Jamie didn't get done with school for two more hours. "I don't know, Nathan... He needs to go to school."

"Please, Hales? I just missed him. I know I've been home for a week but I want to hang out with him." He begged, looking down at her. "Plus, it's preschool. One day won't hurt him."

"I know that you'll probably do it regardless of what I say, so fine." Haley said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "Is that all you need?"

"Yep." He said, nodding. "Oh wait, are you going tonight?"

Lucas and Brooke had invited them and a couple of other friends out to Tric for drinks, which was something they did often when their friends from high school were in town, and Nathan and Haley being there was a rare occurrence because Nathan was out of town a lot, and Haley preferred to stay home with Jamie, so Haley would go when Nathan was in town, but Nathan would only go after the season ended.

"I was going to let you go, and stay home with Jamie." Haley said, glancing into her classroom, watching as all of her students quickly looked down at their papers as if they had been working the whole time.

"Why don't you let someone else watch him?" He suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"Because my usual babysitters are all going to be there." She said, shrugging.

"My mom could do it." He said, nodding at her.

"Oh, your mom the pill popper?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"She's not like that anymore, Haley. You haven't seen her in a long time." He defended her, sighing softly.

"I'm not going to go into this outside of my classroom, Nathan. We both know what happened, and we both know that's not a good idea." She said simply. "I'll find another sitter, okay?"

Nathan nodded slowly, kicking his foot at a scuff mark on the ground. "I'll let you know if I think of anyone. Just know that she's working on fixing her mistakes, just like all of us need to do sometimes." He said, looking at her. "I'll see you later."

Haley nodded at him, sending him a small smile. "I'll see you." She said softly, watching him walk down the hall, letting out a deep breath. She headed back into her class, shaking her head. "Okay, let's get back to it."

Nathan walked up to Haley's house, Jamie hanging onto his back. "Ready to have fun with your baby sitter tonight? I'm sure Mom found you a fun one."

"What are you doing tonight?" Jamie asked him curiously. "You're dressed up."

"I'm not that dressed up. I'm just not wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt." Nathan chuckled, knocking on the door.

"Am I spending the night at your house tonight?" Jamie questioned him.

"Probably not tonight, buddy." Nathan said, nodding at him. "But I'll say goodnight to you tonight, then me, you, and Luke can go play basketball tomorrow. Clay's been calling me and telling me to make sure I get you ready for the upcoming season. Let me see those guns." He hummed, setting Jamie down.

Jamie flexed his bicep, pinching his arm. "I'm getting strong."

Nathan kneeled down, holding up his hand. "Let's see how hard you punch."

Jamie punched his palm quickly, bursting into a fit of laughter as Nathan fell back onto the ground, holding his hand to his chest. He glanced up at the now opened door, smiling brightly up at Haley. "Did you see that, Mama? I'm stronger than him."

Haley smiled brightly at the sight in front of her, kissing Jamie's head. "Good job, baby. You're tough." She said, rubbing his back softly. "You doing alright, Nathan?"

"Kid definitely got his punching abilities from you." Nathan said, smirking slightly and standing up to his feet, dusting himself off.

She smiled at him, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget it." She hummed, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Junk and Fergie are in there waiting for you. They decided it would be more fun to play with you than to hang out with your super cool parents."

"Where are you guys going?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Out with some friends." Nathan informed him, letting out a small sigh and looking at Haley. "You look great, Hales."

Haley sent him a small smile, nodding slowly. "Thank you. You too." She said softly, brushing some grass off his shoulder, before pulling her hand back quickly, grabbing Jamie's hand. "Come on, buddy. Go get in you pajamas so they don't have to put you to bed."

Jamie nodded up at her, running past her and up the stairs.

"That kid and his cape. It kills me." Nathan laughed, smiling brightly.

"I know. He loves it." She responded, shaking her head.

He cleared his throat, looking at her. "Do you want to take the same car?"

She moved her gaze back to Nathan, letting out a deep breath. "That's very nice of you to offer, but Jesse is going to come pick me up."

"Oh. How's that going for you?" He asked, rubbing his neck softly.

"Maybe I shouldn't go tonight, Nathan. I don't want anything to be weird." Haley said, shaking her head.

"No, Haley. Come. I'm looking forward to getting to know this guy better." Nathan said, nodding at her and smiling slightly.

"Are you sure?" She asked him hesitantly, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah. I mean- if you like him, then he's going to be around Jamie." He said simply, shrugging.

She nodded her head slowly, looking up at him for a second, before breaking her gaze from his. "Yeah, okay. Well, come in. I'm sure Jamie will want to say goodbye to you."

Nathan smiled at her, nodding and brushing past her quickly, glancing over his shoulder as Haley closed the door behind him.

Lucas waved Nathan over as soon as he arrived there, smiling at him. "Hey, glad you could make it." He said, nodding.

Nathan took a seat next to him, sighing softly. "I don't know how late I'm going to stay out tonight. I'm not feeling it."

Peyton fake gasped from across the table, "You don't feel like staying out and partying? Who are you?"

"Shut up, Peyton." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Hey, it's not bad to want to go home early. I wouldn't mind going home early." Jake said, shrugging.

"Too bad I want to get completely wasted, so we'll see what time we get home." Peyton hummed, linking her arm through Jake's.

"Thanks, Jake." Nathan said, looking over at Brooke and nodding. "Hi Brooke."

"Hey Nathan." Brooke responded, "How's Jamie doing? I haven't seen him all week since you keep hogging his time."

"He's great. We're having a lot of fun." He hummed, letting out a deep breath. He glanced over as Haley walked over with Jesse. He noted that they weren't holding hands, their arms weren't linked, and they didn't have their arms around each other. He smiled slightly, looking down at the table.

"Hey." Haley hummed as she walked up. "You guys remember Jesse." She said, nodding at Lucas and Brooke. "And these are our friends Jake and Peyton." She said, gesturing over to them.

"Nice to meet you." Jesse said, nodding at them. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll get us some drinks? Anyone else want anything?"

"I'll take a beer." Nathan said, nodding up at him.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, me too." He added, glancing at Haley.

"Super. I'll be right back." Jesse hummed, walking away.

"Super." Peyton repeated, smiling slightly.

Haley glanced in her direction, sitting down. "So, how are you all doing?"

"Pretty good. I'm glad it's the weekend." Jake spoke up first, nodding. "I definitely can't wait to sleep in tomorrow. It's been a long week."

Nathan zoned out as everyone started to talk, looking around the club that he spent a lot of time in while they were in high school, letting out a small sigh. He looked up again when a bottle was set in front of him.

"One beer for you, one for you, and a white wine for the lady." Jesse said, setting a glass down in front of Haley, before sitting next to her.

White wine? That was... Unusual. Haley always preferred red wine. Nathan made eye contact with her, smirking slightly and raising his eyebrows.

Haley shook her head at him, nodding at Jesse. "Thank you." She said softly, smiling slightly.

"So, Nate... Let's talk about the play offs." Jake said, looking at him and raising his eyebrows.

"No, no. Let's not talk about it." Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

"You were doing great, until that last game." Jake said, nodding at him. "Like, you were doing awesome. You had a triple-double in two of the games. But Game 7 came and you couldn't hit anything."

"I don't want to talk about it." Nathan laughed, looking down at the bottle in his hands, sighing softly.

Of course, Haley knew why he had played terrible. It was fairly obvious, but everyone seemed to be oblivious to it. Jamie was supposed to go to that game with Lucas and Brooke, but they never went. And the thought of calling Nathan to tell him they wouldn't be able to make it had escaped everyone's minds. It wasn't until she got a panicked call from him after the game that she realized what had happened.

"I don't think he did that bad." Haley spoke up, nodding at him.

"My scoring percentage was shit." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "I choked."

"Jamie thought you did well." Haley said, smiling slightly. "Don't beat yourself up, Nathan. You did fine."

He nodded at her, letting out a small sigh. "So, Jesse. Haley tells me you're a science teacher. I sucked at science in high school."

"You sucked at every subject in high school, Nathan." Peyton reminded him.

"Yet for some reason you still dated me." Nathan said, shrugging.

"That's because you're pretty." She said, winking at him.

"And good in bed." Brooke agreed, smirking at him.

"Don't forget the basketball skills." Jake added, laughing quietly. "Oh, and those eyes."

"That's all he has going for him since his personality is a little bland." Lucas chimed in, nodding towards his brother.

"I just said one simple thing and you all started attacking me." Nathan said, rolling his eyes and looking at Jesse. "So, science?"

"Physical Science. I mostly work with the Freshmen. A lot of patience is needed." Jesse said, nodding at him.

"Oh man." Nathan said, tapping his fingers on the table. "Where'd you go to high school?"

"I went to a school in Atlanta." Jesse replied, glancing at Haley.

"Hawks fan?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not a huge basketball guy." Jesse said, looking around. "I know you all are though, so I might have to turn into one."

"Oh, I'm not a basketball fan." Haley said, waving her hand. "I only watched it when these guys played. Now I only watch if Jamie asks me to."

"That's not true, Haley. You like basketball." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"No, I don't." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Tramp stamp on your back says otherwise." Brooke said quietly under her breath, winking at her.

Nathan smirked slightly, taking a long drink of his beer.

"As you can see, basketball is a serious topic when it comes to this group." Jake said to Jesse, shaking his head.

Jesse nodded his head, putting his arm around the back of Haley's chair. "I can tell."

"What sports do you like?" Nathan asked, looking at him.

"I'm not a huge sports guy. But I think tennis is fun." Jesse said, shrugging slightly.

"Nice." Nathan said, tapping his fingers on his bottle. "Football?"

Jesse shook his head.

"Baseball?"

He shook his head once more.

"Golf?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Golf isn't bad." Jesse said, shrugging.

"Now we're talking." Nathan said, nodding at him. "Maybe we could go golfing some time."

Haley coughed on her drink, looking at Nathan and shaking her head.

"Yeah, it could be fun." Jesse agreed, nodding at him and looking down at Haley. "You okay, babe?"

"I'm fine." She said, smiling at him.

Jesse kissed her head softly, nodding slowly.

Nathan tightened his grip on his bottle, standing up slowly. "I'm going to get another beer. Anyone want anything? No? Okay." He said, walking away slowly.

He made his way over to the bar, letting out a deep breath. "Hey Owen. Where's Chase?"

"He's out of town, it's just me here tonight." Owen informed him, nodding. "Another beer?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Nathan hummed, tapping his fingers on the bar and glancing back at the table. "Hey. Can you do me a favor? In about five minutes, send a glass of red wine over to my table for Haley. But don't let anyone tell her it's from me." He said, nodding at him.

"Sure thing." Owen said, smirking slightly.

"It doesn't mean anything, Owen." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I just give out the drinks. None of my business." Owen said, shrugging. "I'll send it over there in five minutes. My lips are sealed."

Nathan nodded slowly, walking back over to the table and taking a seat. "So, Jesse. How long have you worked at the school?"

"This is my first year." Jesse said, nodding at him. "How long have you been on the Hornets?"

"About four years." Nathan said, tugging on his shirt collar.

"We're all so proud of our little Natey." Brooke said, reaching across Lucas and pinching Nathan's cheek.

"Get off me." Nathan laughed, pushing her hand away. "You're one to talk, Ms. Clothes Over Bros."

"Mrs. Clothes Over Bros." Lucas corrected, nodding his head.

"So, Jake. What do you do?" Jesse asked, nodding over at him.

"Oh, I'm working to be a physical therapist." Jake said, nodding at him.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Jesse said, leaning back in his chair a bit. "Peyton?"

"I'm in real estate at the moment, but I'm hoping to teach art classes art classes at Tree Hill College." Peyton informed him.

"Wow, art." Jesse said, nodding and smiling at her. "I'm not sure I've heard what you do, Lucas?"

"Luke is a writer." Brooke said, smiling over at him.

"Unpublished, of course." Lucas added, shaking his head and sighing. "Right now I coach the Ravens, and work at this stupid little insurance company, wasting my literature degree."

"He's great at writing though." Haley said, nodding at Lucas and smiling.

"That's really cool. Are you trying to get anything published?" Jesse asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I've got some stuff in the works." Lucas said, nodding at him.

"Well, I'm rooting for you man." Jesse said, smiling slightly.

"Thanks. Maybe one day." Lucas said, clearing his throat.

"So, Nathan. How long are you in town?" Jake asked, looking over at him.

"I'll be here until next week, then I have to fly to New York to do some shooting, but only for a few days." Nathan informed them, nodding.

"Shooting for what, hm?" Peyton asked, looking at him and smirking slightly.

"I don't want to talk about it." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Come on, Nate. No one thinks your commercials are bad." Jake said, shaking his head. "You're our friend. It's cool."

"I like Jake more than all of you." Nathan sighed, leaning back.

"I think I know what you like about me. My rainstorm body spray." Jake said, laughing.

"Nice." Peyton laughed, giving him a high-five.

"I should've stayed home with Jamie." Nathan grumbled.

"I was just thinking that." Haley said, nodding at him.

There was silence for a minute, everyone looking up when a glass of red wine was set in front of Haley.

"For you." The waiter said, walking away.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking down at it. "Huh." She said, looking over at Jesse.

"Who gave that to you?" Jesse asked curiously, raising his eyebrows.

"I have no idea." She said, her gaze moving to Nathan.

Nathan made eye contact with her, a smug smirk on his face. He shrugged slightly, winking at her.

"I wish people would buy me drinks. This stupid ring repels guys." Brooke grumbled, holding up her hand.

"I bought you a drink." Lucas pointed out, raising his eyebrows and laughing.

"I feel you, Brooke." Peyton said, looking over at Jake. "I mean, who the hell wants to be a 'Mrs' if they have to pay for their own drinks?" She joked, wrapping her arm around Jake's shoulders.

"People buy me drinks when I'm in New York." Brooke grumbled, shaking her head.

"Because people in bigger cities don't care that you're married. They care that you're Brooke Davis." Nathan pointed out, shrugging slightly.

"Maybe if I take the ring off and wait awhile some new people will come in and buy me a drink! Oh! Maybe if I go to the bar and start crying." Brooke said, laughing.

"Right, because when I go to a bar the first person I talk to is the girl that's crying." Nathan said sarcastically, shaking his head.

"No, you just head straight for the girl that you know will sleep with you." Peyton said, shrugging.

With that comment, Haley picked up the new glass in front of her and took a long drink of it.

"Huh, well then I guess he could go to any of the girls at this table." Jake grumbled, before freezing. "Wow, did I say that out loud?"

"Unfortunately." Lucas said, glancing around the table.

"I swear, I'm the nice one. I don't usually say things like that." Jake told Jesse quickly, nodding his head.

Nathan shifted uncomfortably, looking around the table and sighing softly. Brooke and Peyton looked as though they were about to start laughing, Lucas' eyes were trained on Haley, who had yet to stop drinking from her glass, Jesse looked slightly uncomfortable, while Jake just stared at the table.

"It wouldn't be a night out with us if Nathan's sexual history didn't come up. Feels just like high school." Peyton said, looking over and shrugging slightly.

Nathan let out a deep breath, standing up. "I'm going to go hang out at the bar for a little while." He said, walking away slowly.

Jake let out a deep breath, "Well, I'm sorry." He sighed, running his hand down his face. "I'm just going to use the excuse that I've had a couple drinks."

"It's fine, Jake." Haley said, clearing her throat and resting her hand on his. "Don't worry about it."

Lucas sighed softly, rubbing his neck and looking over in Nathan's direction.

"I'm just going to say one thing, just so we're all on the same page. We all know he's not that guy anymore, right?" Brooke said, looking around the table.

"Yeah, of course. Haley, go talk to him." Peyton said, nodding towards Nathan.

"Me? Why the hell are you telling me to go talk to him?" Haley asked, leaning back into Jesse's arm.

"Uh, hello. You're his person. The Cristina to his Meredith, the one he tells things to before he tells anyone else." Brooke pointed out. "Something is bothering him."

Lucas cleared his throat, tapping his finger on the table. "I know what it is." He said, nodding slowly.

Brooke gasped, "How dare you know something and not tell me." She joked, looking over at Nathan. "Spill, Lucas Scott."

Lucas sighed softly, looking around the table. "Kylie cheated on him." He said, shrugging slightly. "He's been kind of off since he got home. I think he's trying to brush it off like it's not big deal. You didn't hear it from me though, because it was a brother to brother talk."

Haley let out an exaggerated sigh, looking over at Nathan again, then looking back at Jesse. "I'm sorry, but..."

"Go on." Jesse said, nodding at her. "I'll wait here." He hummed, kissing her briefly.

Haley smiled at him, brushing her hand over his cheek, before walking over to the bar, taking a seat next to Nathan. "I'll just take a water." She told Owen, glancing over at her former fiancé.

"Looks like some people do go to the crying girl at the bar." Haley said, keeping her eyes trained on Owen as he filled up a glass with water.

Nathan laughed quietly, looking down at his drink. "I guess so." He said, looking over at her. "Jesse is nice." He said softly.

"I'm glad that you think so." She responded, looking over at Jesse and waving slightly.

"Why?" Nathan asked, letting out a deep sigh.

"Because you're my friend, Nathan. Your opinion matters to me." Haley said, turning to look at him, resting her elbow on the bar and her chin in her palm.

He let out a small sigh, looking over at her again. "Well, he seems to suit you well."

"Why did you send the red wine over?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan glanced over at Owen, who was smirking slightly and pretending not to eavesdrop. He looked back over at Haley, standing up slowly. "Because you like red wine better. I know it, and everyone else at that table knew it, but for some reason... He didn't know it. Better catch him up to speed soon, or you'll be spending your nights by the fire drinking a drink that it just, in your words 'okay.' Goodnight, Haley." He said, smirking at her, setting some money on the counter, waving towards his friends, and heading towards the exit without another word.


	4. Chapter 4

**Someone mentioned something about line breaks again, and I would do that if I could figure out how to do it. So I'm all ears, if anyone knows. But I'll just do xxx to tell the break in scenes, I'm sorry. I know it can get confusing.**

 **Chapter 4**

"When does he get home?" Jamie asked Haley, spinning around in circles in her chair by her desk as she erased her board.

"I'm not sure, Jame." Haley said, shrugging slightly and glancing over at her son. "You're going to make yourself sick by doing that."

"Why don't you ask him when he gets home?" He asked her curiously, stopping the chair.

"Because I don't have time right now, baby. Why don't you ask him when you call him tonight?" She suggested, letting out a small sigh.

"It's almost my birthday. Will he be back for my birthday?" He asked her, frowning slightly.

"He's always here for your birthday, Jamie. He wouldn't miss it." She said, leaning over and kissing his forehead.

"What are we doing?" He hummed, standing up slowly, nearly falling over from being a little dizzy.

Haley rested her hand on his shoulder, pulling him over to her. "We're waiting for one of my students to show up for detention." She informed him, smiling slightly.

Jamie picked up a marker, holding up to her. "Ravens blue." He informed her, taking off the lid and beginning to draw on the board.

"You know, Jamie, she just erased that... And here you are drawing all over it." Nathan's voice said behind them, causing Jamie to whip around.

Jamie ran over to Nathan, hugging him tightly. "You've been gone forever." He said, looking up at him.

"Have I?" Nathan asked him, scooping him up and hugging his son tightly. "Three days, forever... Pretty much the same thing now a days, right?" He looked over at Haley, nodding at her. "Hey." He said, before looking down at Jamie.

"You know, you're supposed to get a visitors pass before you just waltz in here." Haley informed him, shaking her head.

"I know. Luke let me in." Nathan said, shrugging and looking around the room.

"Can I talk to her for a second?" Jamie asked, pointing over to Haley. "Just one second." He hummed, nodding slowly.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, setting Jamie down and sitting in a desk in the middle of the classroom.

Jamie rushed over to Haley, grabbing her hand and tugging on it until she bent down so her ear was level with him. "Can he come over for dinner tonight?" He whispered into her ear.

Haley sighed softly, glancing over at Nathan, who was pretending to be asleep. "Why don't you ask him?" She suggested, rubbing his back and nodding over to him.

Jamie smiled at her, nodding quickly and rushing back to Nathan. "Hey." He said, tugging on his sleeve.

"Hm?" Nathan asked, blinking his eyes open and grinning. "Sorry, I was doing an imitation of me in high school." He joked, looking up at Haley.

Haley laughed quietly, walking over and sitting in the desk next to him. "If we're imitating us in high school, this would be where I sat, and this-" She paused, punching him in the shoulder, "Would be what I would be what I'd be doing." She teased him, smiling.

"Sounds about about right." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his arm and looking down at Jamie. "She was mean to me in high school."

"You were mean to me first." Haley informed him, standing up once again and walking back up to her desk. "This is where I sit now, I can't punch people so it's not as fun. But I can hand out detention."

"Oh, so you're that kind of teacher." Nathan smirked slightly, standing up and picking up Jamie, setting him on one of the desks.

"Are you surprised?" She questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

"Not really. You've always been the kind of person that doesn't put up with anyone else's crap." Nathan said, looking over at her and winking.

"You're just lucky you aren't in my class." Haley informed him, nodding at him.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that." Nathan responded, smirking at her.

"Trust me, I would not have had any patience for you in high school." She said, turning back to the board and raising her eyebrows. This conversation seemed... Odd. They'd been on fairly good terms the past few years, but mainly avoided having one on one conversations that didn't involve Jamie. Since Nathan's season ended, things have seemed a bit different between the two of them. If he was away, Haley would let Jamie talk on the phone with him, then after Jamie went to bed, Nathan would ask her about her day. And now they had this flirty banter going on between them. She shook her head slowly, to bring herself out of her thoughts, listening to the conversation that was happening behind her.

"Can you come over for dinner tonight? Then I can go to your house and spend the night." Jamie said, looking at Nathan and grinning.

"I'd love to come to dinner." Nathan said, ruffling Jamie's hair. "As for spending the night, we'll have to see. It's a school night, and you get hyper and my house and sometimes have trouble sleeping."

Jamie nodded, looking over at Haley. "He said yes, Mama!" He informed her, giving her a thumbs up.

Haley smiled, looking over her shoulder and holding a thumbs up in response.

Nathan looked up at Haley, smiling at her. "What time should I come over?"

"Five-thirty?" She suggested, nodding at him.

"Why don't you come over now?" Jamie groaned, getting off the desk and sighing softly.

"It's okay, buddy." Nathan laughed, resting his hand on top of Jamie's head. He looked up when Jesse walked in, sighing softly.

"Hey Haley." Jesse said, glancing over at Nathan and Jamie. "Hey Jamie, Nathan." He said, sending them a small wave.

"Hi Jesse." Haley hummed, walking around her desk and leaning up against the edge of it.

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight?" He questioned her, smiling slightly.

She glanced over at Jamie, watching him sink back into Nathan's legs, a small frown forming on his face. She let out a deep breath, turning her attention back to the man in front of her. "I can't tonight." She said to him, resting her hand on his arm for a second. "But maybe this weekend?" She suggested, looking over at Nathan.

"I have a thing Saturday night, so Friday works best for me." Nathan chimed in, clearing his throat.

Haley looked at him, kinking her eyebrow slightly, before looking back at Jesse. "Friday?" She asked him, standing up straighter.

"Sounds great." Jesse said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. He turned to Nathan, "My schedule is about to clear up for the summer. So golf soon?" He suggested, shrugging slightly.

Nathan nodded in response, picking up Jamie. "Yeah, sure. Just let me know." He replied.

"Great. I'll see you all later." Jesse said quietly, glancing over at Haley one last time, before heading out of the room.

"Where's the person that has detention, Mom?" Jamie asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I guess they decided not to show up. I'm going to wait around for a little bit longer. Why don't you go with Dad and he can just bring you when he comes over?" Haley said, humming softly.

Jamie looked at Nathan, nodding. "Yeah! Let's go swimming." He said, smiling brightly.

"I don't know if swimming is the best idea. But, I did buy something that you'll think is super fun. But it's a surprise." Nathan said, smiling down at him. "You sure you don't want the company, Hales?"

"It's fine, I have some papers to grade. I'm the mean teacher that is still handing out homework." She said, smiling over at him.

Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Make them suffer." He shrugged, setting Jamie down. "Go give your mom a big hug."

Jamie rushed over to Haley, hugging her tightly, "Thanks." He said, smiling at her.

"Of course. You don't have any homework, do you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nope! My teacher is nice." Jamie said, sticking his tongue out and running back over to Jamie.

Haley fake gasped, resting her hand over her heart. "James Lucas Scott, how dare you." She said, smiling and shaking her head.

"Come on, Jamie. Let's get out of here before she mades us write a paper." Nathan said, smirking at her, scooping up Jamie and rushing out of the classroom.

xxxx

Nathan and Jamie walked into Nathan's house shortly after. Nathan set Jamie on the kitchen counter, walking over to the fridge. "Let's see... What would make a good after school snack?" He asked, glancing over at his son.

"Ice cream." Jamie informed him, sending him a big grin.

"You're just like your mom." Nathan said, smiling at him. "When she was pregnant with you, I swear I had to make so many midnight ice cream runs. Mint Chocolate Chip." He informed him, pulling some ice cream out of the freezer. "But you're more a Rocky Road kid, right?"

"I like chocolate." Jamie said, nodding at him.

"Well Rocky Road is chocolate on steroids." Nathan said, smirking at him and getting out a bowl.

"What's steroids?" Jamie questioned him, raising his eyebrows.

"Ask your mom." Nathan chuckled, scooping Jamie some ice cream.

It was quiet for a minute, before Jamie spoke up. "Why don't we all live together?"

Nathan sighed softly, looking over at Jamie. "Because that's the way it is, buddy."

"My friends' parents all live in the same house." Jamie said, kicking his legs.

"It's hard to understand, Jamie." Nathan said, setting the ice cream next to him on the counter.

"Uncle Lucas told me that you used to love each other." Jamie said, sighing softly. "And we lived in the same house for awhile."

Nathan brushed his fingers through Jamie's hair, smiling slightly. "We still care about each other, Jamie. But it isn't the same as it was."

"Why?" Jamie asked him, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Nathan looked at him, rubbing his back softly. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I don't have all the answers for you."

Jamie looked down at his ice cream, before looking up at his father again. "It's okay. I just wish we could be a family."

"Hey, we are a family." Nathan said, hugging him tightly. "I promise, Jamie. Your mom and I... We'd never let anything happen to you. You're our whole world and we'll always put you first. We're a family."

Jamie nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh. "Okay." He said, looking at him.

"Good. Now time to smile, because I bought a new video game for us to play!" Nathan said, lifting Jamie off the counter and setting him on the ground. "I'm going to let you eat your ice cream in the living room. But you better be careful." He laughed, following his son into the living room.

xxx

Nathan walked up to Haley's front door at around five-thirty, Jamie trailing behind him. He smiled slightly, "Come on, shorty. Chop chop." He laughed, clapping his hands.

Jamie looked up at him, sighing softly. "Why did we have to bring her flowers?"

"Because she does so much for you, so it's a nice way to show her you appreciate her by giving her flowers." Nathan informed his son, nodding down at him.

"But you paid for them." Jamie said slowly, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, well you can start paying for them when you have money." Nathan laughed, moving so he was standing behind Jamie and knocking on the door.

Haley opened the door a second later, smiling at them. "Hey. Come in." She said, gesturing them inside.

Jamie held out the flowers, "These are for you. Daddy says I'm supposed to appreciate you more." He said, smiling up at her.

Haley's smile widened, "Thank you." She said, kissing his head softly. "This is so sweet of you." She hummed, taking them from Jamie and glancing at Nathan.

Jamie nodded, rushing past her into the house. "Come on!" He called after him, looking over his shoulder at Nathan.

Nathan smiled at Haley, shrugging slightly. "Duty calls." He laughed, sliding past her and walking over to Jamie.

"Dinner is ready, so wash up." She said, letting out a deep breath and closing the door.

Nathan scooped up Jamie, hanging him over his shoulder and heading into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, they were all seated at the table while Jamie gave a play by play of his whole day to his parents.

"And then, I gave half of my snack to a girl in my class because she was pretty." Jamie informed them, a small grin on his face.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking over at Nathan, who had a smug smirk on his face, then back at Jamie. "Jamie Scott, you are too young to think that girls are pretty. What about cooties and stuff?" She asked him, shaking her head.

"I think that you're pretty, Mama." Jamie informed her, shrugging slightly.

Haley smiled at that, shaking her head. "Thank you." She said, sighing softly.

"I think it's smart to figure out that girls don't have cooties early on." Nathan said, nodding at his son.

"What are cooties?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Things that girls have. Until they become moms. Then they don't have them anymore." Haley informed her son, nodding at his food. "Keep eating."

"So, Hales... How was your day?" Nathan asked, looking over at her.

"Fine. I spent the whole day dealing with high school kids who just want to stop learning, but I won't let them." She laughed, shrugging slightly.

"It's almost summer." Nathan said, shaking his head. "They shouldn't have to keep learning."

"Everyone should be constantly learning, Nathan. That attitude is why you were a C student." She said simply, shrugging.

"C plus." He corrected her, clearing his throat.

"Oh, excuse me. My bad." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "What about you? How was your day?"

"I shot some footage for a new video game, got on a plane and came home. That's about it." He hummed, looking at Jamie.

"Oh, that's all you did today?" She said sarcastically, raising her eyebrows.

"Best part of my day was hanging out with Jamie." Nathan hummed, smiling slightly.

"Best part of my day too." Jamie agreed, nodding at him.

"Hey, mister. I thought spending time with me was the best part of your day?" Haley asked in mock hurt, resting her hand over her heart.

Jamie looked at her, before looking back at Nathan, shrugging slightly.

"One second my baby is giving me flowers and the next he's crushing my heart." She said, shaking her head and laughing.

"Sorry Hales, kid knows what's up." Nathan said, winking at her.

Haley looked at him, shaking her head, deciding to brush off the wink. "Just remember who made this dinner for you." She said, gesturing at her plate.

"I can make Mac and cheese too." Nathan pointed out, shrugging.

"The box kind." She argued, smiling at him.

"My cooking definitely does not do your cooking justice." He said, returning her smile.

"That's what I like to hear." Haley said, nodding at him. She looked at her son, raising her eyebrows. "Are you done already? You didn't eat much?"

"I'm full." Jamie said, nodding at her. "Can we go play?" He asked, looking over at Nathan.

"That may be my fault. I gave him a couple bowls of ice cream before we came here." Nathan chuckled, shrugging.

"Can we go?" Jamie asked again, climbing off his chair and walking over to Nathan, tugging on his arm.

"What if I'm still eating? It doesn't happen very often that I eat something besides take out or frozen food." He said, looking at his son.

Jamie let out an exaggerated sigh, looking over at Haley. "Why don't you eat here every night then?" He asked Nathan, looking back at him.

Nathan ruffled his hair, "Because I'm a busy man, Jamie. You've spent the day with me plenty of times to know that I have a strict schedule. I have to play video games from six to nine every day or else I get grumpy." He joked, shaking his head.

Jamie sighed softly, looking between his parents. He turned back to his mother, "Why don't you let him live with us?" He asked her.

"Jamie..." Haley sighed, looking over at Nathan.

"We talked about this, Jamie." Nathan cut in, clearing his throat.

"I know." He said, sitting back down in his chair and looking at his food, resting his chin in his palm and pushing the food around with a fork.

The rest of dinner went by with little talking. Nathan had volunteered to do the dishes, which Haley shut down and told him to go play with Jamie. When he did so, his son was different than the happy boy he'd seen earlier. It seemed upset, and a little distant. Nathan wanted nothing more than to tell his son that maybe one day they could all live together again and be the picture perfect family the young boy had in his mind. But it was unfair to make promises that very well may never come true.

He was sitting next to Jamie in his bed, tossing a rubber basketball back and forth between his hands. After a moment, he looked down at the blonde haired child. "If I make this shot, you have to go to bed because it's a school night." He said, smiling at him. "If I miss, then we'll lock the door and stay up here for another hour and not tell your mom."

Jamie looked across the room at the small basketball hoop in the corner of his room. "Deal." He said, nodding towards it.

Nathan shot it, watching it sail through the net. He looked back at Jamie. "Sorry Jimmy-Jam. Maybe next time." He laughed, standing up.

"I don't want you to leave." Jamie sighed, climbing under the comforter.

"I know you don't. But I'll see you tomorrow. Then you can spend Friday night at my house. And when it's summer, I'm going to see if Mom will let you come up to Charlotte with me for awhile to hang out with the guys." Nathan said, bumping his fist against Jamie's.

"Really?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I think you're old enough now." Nathan smiled, nodding at him. "Goodnight, James."

"Goodnight." Jamie said softly, waving at his father and laying back against his pillow.

Nathan looked at him, winking. "I'll leave the door open, okay?" He said, waving at Jamie. "See you tomorrow, buddy."

"See you tomorrow." Jamie responded with a small sigh.

Nathan headed out of the room and down the stairs, finding Haley sitting at the table with her head in her hands.

"Hey." He cleared his throat, "I'm going to head out."

Haley stood up, letting out a deep breath. "You don't need to. Maybe we should talk for a little bit?" She suggested.

Nathan nodded slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets and following her into the living room, taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch.

"He's been asking me a lot of questions lately. And I'm assuming he's been asking you some too." Haley said, nodding at him.

"Yeah." He sighed, rubbing his neck. "He just wants to understand. I don't know how to explain it to him in simple terms because part of me still doesn't understand." He said simply, shrugging.

She looked over at him, nodding slowly. "Yeah." She said softly.

After a moment of silence, Nathan looked at her. "What happened, Haley? Like, really. What exactly happened to us?"

"I can think of a thing or two. For starters, your parents thought I was trying to trap you." Haley said, rolling her eyes and letting out a deep sigh.

"They're working on their issues, Haley. My mom more so than my dad, but he's still taking steps." Nathan defended his parents, shaking his head. "And you know I don't speak highly of my dad, ever. But he's been trying."

"Look, Nathan... I don't know if we should talk about this. We've spent almost four years burying this and we're almost to a place where we can let it all go." She said, crossing her arms.

"No, Haley. We broke up and then didn't ever really talk about what happened." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Because we need to worry more about Jamie, than about us, Nathan." She said, letting out a small sigh.

"I want to talk about it. I don't know how to answer questions that I don't know the answer to myself." He grumbled, glancing at his watch. "You're the one that told me to stay so we could talk."

"About Jamie, Nathan. I want to talk about Jamie. Not this." She said, gesturing between the two of them.

"Well I want to talk about it, Haley. I've been respectful, and I haven't brought it up for a couple years. I'm not looking to start things up again by any means. I just want to know what happened." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"You were thinking about giving up your dream, Nathan. To stay at home with us and I couldn't let that happen." Haley said simply, shrugging.

"That's a weak excuse." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I can think of another reason too." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Nathan immediately knew what she was thinking about, one of the things they had spent a lot of time arguing about. "There was nothing going on with her, Haley. I've told you that a million times!"

"All I know is we hired her to watch Jamie when we needed her, when we had a class at the same time, and you spent more time watching her then she did watching Jamie!" Haley said, rolling her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"I didn't have a thing for her, Haley! I thought it was a stupid idea to hire her anyways." Nathan retaliated. "I talked to her when I was around her."

"I know what I saw, Nathan." She responded, sighing softly.

"Yeah, well I have a date with her Saturday night." Nathan said, shaking his head. "There was nothing going on back then, but we'll see what happens now." He snapped to her.

Haley looked at him, letting out a deep breath. "This is too hard, Nathan. I thought that maybe we were getting to a place where we could be friends. But I can't do this anymore." She said, shaking her head.

Nathan looked down at her, sighing softly. "I'm going to go." He said, nodding slowly. He headed for the door, looking over at her. "I want you to know that if I could change this, I would. If I could be married to you and in love with you today, I would." He said to her, shrugging slightly and heading out the door.

She looked after him, letting out a deep sigh and heading up the stairs to Jamie's room, looking in and finding his back to her. If she had taken a closer look, she would've noticed that he was definitely not asleep, but wide awake after listening to his parents yelling back and forth downstairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Nathan walked up to Haley's house at around eight o'clock, knocking on the door and letting out a deep breath. It had been three weeks since they decided it would be best if they didn't talk much anymore, and focused their conversations on Jamie. He had arrived back in Tree Hill late the night before, after spending most of the week in Charlotte.

He looked up with Haley answered the door, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey. Is he awake yet?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley shook her head, sighing softly and stepping to the side, gesturing for him to come in. "Not yet. Should be soon, though." She said softly.

"Five years old. How you taking it?" He asked her, smiling slightly.

"The time has gone by quickly, that's for sure." She responded, shaking her head. "I'm trying not to think about it too much."

He laughed, nodding at her. "Same here." He said, rubbing his neck. "Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm just finishing up making breakfast for him." She said, nodding slowly. "I made Luke come over yesterday and help set up for the party."

"Oh." Nathan said, nodding slowly and letting out a deep breath.

"Sorry, I would've waited but I didn't think you'd be back until later today." She said, shrugging slightly.

"No, I get it." He responded, waving his hand. "I guess I'll just... Head out until he wakes up. Let me know."

"Nathan, just stay. It's his birthday." Haley said, shaking her head. "He'll love it if you're here."

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Are you sure that there's nothing I can do to help?"

"I'm sure." She said, walking back into the kitchen and letting out a small sigh.

Nathan followed her in, leaning against the counter and watching her.

After a minute of silence, Haley looked at him. "Maybe for today we can just drop this." She said softly, nodding slowly. "For Jamie."

He nodded, letting out a deep breath. "Yeah, sounds good. Not that there's really a reason for us to be so cold to each other." He grumbled. "I mean, I'm fine with you dating people. Why can't I date too?"

"Nathan, I don't give a shit about you dating. The thing that bothers me is who you're dating." Haley snapped, rolling her eyes. "This isn't dropping it."

"Jamie isn't up yet." Nathan said, shrugging. "I've told you a thousand times, Haley that there was nothing going on between us." He said, shaking his head.

"Would you just stop, Nathan? We obviously disagree." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Obviously we do. But only one of us is right. And that's me." He pointed out, crossing his arms.

"It doesn't even matter anymore, Nathan. I don't care. I don't care about her. I don't care about anything you do that doesn't concern my son. So as long as she stays the hell away from Jamie, then I'm good." Haley snapped, shaking her head.

Nathan stared at her, frowning slightly. He could feel his heart get a little heavier at her words. He let out a deep breath, shrugging slightly. "Yeah, well what if I marry her?"

She laughed, shaking the knife she was using to cut strawberries in his direction, "Yeah. Okay."

"What? It could happen." He pointed out, scowling.

"She doesn't seem like the marriage type." She pointed out, rolling her eyes. "But hey, you know her a lot better than I do."

"Oh, I see what this is. You're jealous." Nathan said, smirking at her.

Haley kinked one eyebrow, looking at him. "No. I think she's a bitch, Nathan. I don't want her anywhere near Jamie. That's all I'm worried about."

"Sure, okay." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I couldn't care less about you dating, Nathan. At all." She said, scowling at him. "We've been broken up longer than we dated."

"Because you wouldn't date me in high school." He pointed out.

"You had a girlfriend. Besides, this is the most immature conversation I've had all week, and we have a five year old son!" She said, shaking her head.

"You're making this not being friends with you thing pretty easy." He pointed out, scowling at her.

"Trust me, it's been easy." She responded, shaking her head.

"You think Carrie is a bitch? Well maybe you should look in the mirror." Nathan grumbled, letting out a deep breath. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back immediately. Haley was the most sincere person he'd ever met, and was far from a bitch. But he wasn't backing down from this fight.

Haley picked up a strawberry, throwing it at him. "Yeah, well you're an asshole. Grow up, Nathan. Honestly." She snapped at him. "Stop messing with my life, okay? Don't be friends with Jesse, don't talk to him, don't go golfing with him, nothing. The only reason I still want you here is for Jamie. I don't care about you, or your little slut of the week. You're in my house right now, so don't talk to me like you own the place."

He let out a deep breath, setting the fruit on the counter and rolling his eyes. "Is this how you treat all your guests?"

"Just the ones that deserve it." She responded, glancing up as Jamie came trudging down the stairs, an unhappy look on his face. "Jamie! Happy Birthday, baby! Look who's here." She said, forcing a smile onto her face.

Nathan looked at him quickly, walking over and picking him up. "Hey Jame!" He said, grinning at him. "Happy Birthday, man. Five years old. Wow."

Jamie nodded, resting his head against Nathan's shoulder, letting out a deep sigh.

"Everything okay?" Nathan asked his son softly, glancing over at Haley.

"You guys were fighting." Jamie said softly, lifting his head up and looking between the two of them.

"No we weren't, Jamie! We're both so excited for your birthday." Haley said quickly, walking over to him and kissing his head. "Happy Birthday. I made you breakfast!"

Jamie looked at Haley, sighing softly. "Thank you." He said softly.

"Jamie, we aren't fighting." Nathan said, wrapping one arm around Haley's shoulders and pulling her into a side hug. "Look. We're best friends."

Haley nodded at Jamie, "Yeah, Jamie. We were just talking." She said softly, resting her head against Nathan's shoulder.

Jamie looked at them, letting out a deep breath. "Okay." He said softly, before smiling at them. "I'm five."

"Oh, don't remind us." Nathan laughed, "We're having a hard time with it."

"I get to go to kindergarten now." Jamie said, nodding at them.

"Dude! Of course that's what you would think of first. I blame you, Haley." Nathan said, glancing down at her. He set Jamie down at the table, smiling at him. "Are you excited for you party?"

Jamie nodded, "I love getting presents." He pointed out, grinning at him.

"Good, because we got you a lot of them." Nathan laughed, standing up. He looked at Haley, "Is there anything I can help you with, Hales?"

Haley looked at him, nodding slowly. "Yeah, why don't you help me bring everything out?" She said, walking over to the counter, picking up plates.

Nathan followed her over, looking down at her. "We have to do this today."

"I know." She responded, handing him a plate with fruit on it. She walked over to a cupboard, reaching up to grab a box of candles.

Nathan's eyes fell to the small of her back where his jersey number was inked, his breath hitching slightly. He shouldn't have done it, but he let his eyes roam over the rest of her briefly, a small smirk on his face.

Haley turned around and raised her eyebrows at him, "What?" She asked him cautiously.

"Nothing." He hummed, walking over the the table and setting the plate down. "I know, this is the healthy stuff but I promise that your mom is coming with chocolate chip pancakes." He laughed, winking at his son.

"You promise you aren't fighting?" Jamie asked him softly.

"Jamie, we aren't. It's your birthday, little man. Enjoy it." He said, ruffling his hair.

Haley walked over to the table a minute later, setting a stack of pancakes in front of Jamie and sticking a candle in the middle of it. "Happy Birthday, baby."

xxxx

Haley watched Nathan while he played with Jamie and his friends, letting out a deep breath and glancing around the party. She looked over when Lucas moved to stand next to her, smiling up at him. "Hey Luke."

"Hey." Lucas hummed, nodding over at Jamie. "He's getting big, isn't he? Seems like just yesterday you were in my bedroom terrified to tell Nathan you were pregnant." He laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I wish it would all slow down." She laughed, shaking her head. "He's so big."

"Pretty soon he'll be driving and talking back." He laughed, hugging her close to him.

"Still got a few years on that one." She responded, rolling her eyes.

"Jesse couldn't make it?" Lucas asked, looking down at her.

"He's out of town." She informed him, moving her eyes to Nathan once again.

He followed her gaze, rubbing her shoulder softly. "Everything okay?"

Haley looked at him and smiled slightly, "Yeah. After almost four years of pretending everything is fine, I think we're finally coming around to realizing that everything is not fine. But I'm sure Brooke told you what happened. It's been a few weeks."

"Why haven't you talked to me about it, Hales?" He asked her, frowning down at her.

"He's your brother. I don't really want to talk about this at Jamie's party." She said softly, glancing up at him.

Lucas let out a deep breath, looking over in his wife's direction. "I love you, Hales. I'm here for you. I'll kick Nathan's ass anytime you want. For what it's worth, I've been telling him that he's an idiot for the past four years, and I'll continue telling him that."

Haley smiled slightly, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "I love you too, Luke. Thanks for helping me set all this up yesterday."

"Of course. Anything for you and Jamie." He hummed, kissing her head. "Let me know if there's anything else you need."

She nodded at him, resting her head on his shoulder, keeping her eyes rested on her son.

A short while later, Jamie came rushing up to her, dragging Nathan along with him. "When can we eat cake? And open presents?"

"Smart kid, knows what he wants." Lucas laughed, picking Jamie up. "You're lucky that you look more like me every day, Jamie."

"I don't have a beard yet." Jamie said, rubbing his own chin.

"You don't need a beard yet." Haley said, kissing Jamie's head. "Or ever."

"Sorry, Jamie. You probably won't be able to grow one for quite awhile. That's my fault." Nathan said, laughing quietly.

"It's okay, little brother. Maybe one day you'll grow up." Lucas laughed, setting Jamie on the ground.

"I might be younger than you, but I remember beating you up quite often in high school." Nathan reminded him, resting his hand on Jamie's head.

"Oh yeah? That's because you had a bunch of goons. If we fought right now, I'd take you down man." Lucas retaliated, smirking slightly.

"Hey." Haley said, shaking her head and looking at Jamie. "That's enough of this conversation."

"You guys used to fight?" Jamie questioned them, raising his eyebrows.

"Eh... Sort of." Lucas answered, looking down at him. "How about that cake now? That sounds good." He changed the subject, smiling slightly.

"Presents first." Haley said, smiling down at Jamie. "Why don't you go gather everyone and tell them?"

Jamie nodded, rushing away towards his friends.

Haley looked at the two brothers, raising her eyebrows. "Let's not have conversations about who could beat who up in front of a five year old, okay?"

"He's really five? That must make you..." Lucas paused for a moment, "Forty-five?""

She punched him in the shoulder, shaking her head. "Asshole." She grumbled, shaking her head. "We both know I could take you, Lucas. So be careful what you say."

Lucas laughed, shaking his head. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You haven't aged since you were twelve." He said, hugging her close to him.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Lucas." She grumbled, laughing.

"Okay, okay. Eighteen." Lucas finished, smiling at her.

"Better." She laughed, looking at Nathan for a second, before shifting her gaze back to Lucas.

Nathan let out a deep breath, "Great party, Haley." He said, nodding at her.

"Thank you." Haley responded, looking over towards her son, who was trying to get Brooke, Peyton, and Jake out of their conversation.

"You look like you're having fun being the human jungle gym." Lucas informed Nathan, smiling slightly.

"Kids are fun." Nathan said simply, shrugging. "But you probably won't be blessed with a kid as good as Jamie. You'll probably get kids like his friends."

"Whatever, Nate." Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

Jamie ran up to them again, "Everyone is inside now. Can we please go?" He asked them.

Haley laughed, smiling down at him. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go open your presents, my little five year old."

xxxx

"Damn, Nate. Did you wrap all these presents?" Lucas laughed, shoving some wrapping paper into a bag.

"Clay helped me. He did the sucky ones." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head.

"Uh... They were all sucky." Lucas joked, smiling at him. He pulled some streamers down from the ceiling, putting them in the bag as well.

"Whatever. I don't have a Brooke Davis to wrap my presents for me." Nathan said, looking around the room.

"No, but you do have a Carrie." Lucas said casually, raising his eyebrows.

"Dude." Nathan grumbled, looking around quickly. "She hears everything."

"Haley?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows. "No she doesn't."

"Since she's become a mom... She has super ears." Nathan said, looking around again. "I did shouldn't have today." He said softly, rubbing his neck.

"What did you do?" Lucas asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"I pissed Haley off on purpose." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"Nathan... What did you do?" Lucas asked again, sighing softly.

"I talked about Carrie and me getting married." Nathan grumbled, rubbing his neck.

"Nathan." Lucas groaned, shaking his head and throwing some wrapping paper at him.

"I don't know why I said it. Honestly, dude... I haven't even talked to Carrie in a few days. It's nothing serious at all. I don't want it to be anything serious." Nathan said softly, sighing.

"You realize that this is a stupid situation for you to get yourself in to?" Lucas grumbled, looking towards the stairs. "You should talk to her, Nathan. You guys should fix whatever is happening between you."

"I shouldn't have said this to her, but for some reason... I was getting mad, and I wanted her to be mad too. Then Jamie came down and we pretended like nothing happened." Nathan informed him, shrugging.

"Talk to her. I'm going to go. Have fun cleaning up the rest of this mess. You're good parents." Lucas hummed, slapping him on the shoulder and rushing out of the house.

Nathan sighed softly, shaking his head and continuing to clean up from Jamie's birthday party.

A few minutes later, Haley came down the stairs, rubbing her neck softly.

"Hey. Are you sure you don't want to take him home? You just got back." Haley said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to wake him up, he's had a big day." Nathan responded, smiling slightly. "Of course you came downstairs once I was almost done cleaning up."

"Hey, I was cleaning upstairs. Sort of." She said, shaking her head.

He nodded at her, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Great party." He said to her, humming softly. "In fact, I think it's the best party I've been to in awhile."

"Jamie is asleep, Nathan. Go home." Haley said softly, shaking her head.

He sighed quietly, rubbing his neck. "Right." He stood still for a second, looking at her. "Hey." He said softly, resting his hand on her shoulder lightly.

She glanced at his hand, before looking up at him and raising her eyebrows. "Hi?" She responded.

"I'm sorry. For everything I said earlier." He said softly, nodding at her. "I didn't mean any of it."

Haley let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "It's whatever, Nathan. I don't need your apologies."

Nathan shook his head quickly, "It's not 'whatever', Haley. You're my son's mother. If someone else was talking to you that way, I'd kick their ass." He informed her. "I don't know how this is going to play out, Haley. But you and I... We're stuck together. No matter what, we're always going to have Jamie."

She looked up at him, biting her lip softly and nodding. "I know."

"And I shouldn't talk to you like that, and you shouldn't let me. You've never put up with me before. So don't." He sighed, shaking his head and looking down at her.

She sighed, looking towards the door. "Thanks for helping clean up. I can take it from here." She said, letting out a deep breath and nodding towards the exit.

He cleared his throat, nodding at her and turning towards the door. He turned around a second later, "For some reason, I seem to be the only one that wants to talk about our problems. Why?"

"Because I'm done, Nathan." Haley said simply, shaking her head.

"You just want to be civil for Jamie? You don't want to be friends?" He asked her, sighing softly.

"Nope. I'm done." She responded, nodding at the door again.

"For an English teacher, you sure don't have a lot to say." Nathan pointed out, shrugging slightly.

"Not to you. Sorry, Nathan. But this is how I need it to be. I just... Don't want to be your friend. I don't want to go to your wedding, or your parties. All I want us to have in common is Jamie." She said quietly, letting out a deep sigh.

"You think that's what's best for him?" Nathan asked her, scowling slightly.

"I know that I don't want to give him false hope, and when he sees us together, that's what he gets." Haley said, shrugging. "You can pick him up whenever tomorrow."

"So this is really it, huh?" He asked her, resting his hand on the door knob.

"I guess so. I'll see you tomorrow, though. So it's not a big deal." She said, crossing her arms.

Nathan looked at her for a second, before walking over and pulling her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Goodbye, Haley."

Haley closed her eyes for a second, letting his presence fill her senses. They'd see each other practically every day until Nathan left again, and then once her returned, all the way until Jamie left for college probably. They'd see each other at every important moment in Jamie's life, but this goodbye was different than any other. They'd already addressed the fact that they shouldn't be friends weeks ago, but this just felt like it was official. A goodbye to them. In the back of her mind, Haley always thought that maybe there was a chance that her and Nathan would end up together, despite everything that had happened between them. But when he told her about Carrie, she felt that light dim as the days went on. So this was it, her face pressed into his shoulder and he hugged her tightly against him. She took in his familiar scent, the scent that had comforted her since she was a junior in high school. It wasn't Rainstorm Body Spray, it was Nathan. And for a second, her brain flashed back to all the milestone moments in their lives. When she started tutoring him, their first kiss, prom, graduation, when he finally asked her on a date so long after she'd wanted him to, how happy he'd been when she decided to go to Duke with him, college, finding out about Jamie, Nathan's proposal, Jamie's birth. And so many more. In that moment she didn't think of all the hurt and the heartache she'd felt over him, or all of the pain she'd caused him. She was with Nathan. One of her best friends, her first love. The guy that would have dropped anything to help her, and honestly... He probably still would. He had been such a jerk when she started talking to him, but he'd changed so much. He was an amazing guy. The guy that she'd hoped was her always and her forever. And with these thoughts swarming around her head, she couldn't help but return the hug, her arms wrapping tightly around him.

After a few minutes, reality hit her. This was it. This was probably one of the last times in her life she'd be standing in this intimate of a situation. Did it have to be like this? Maybe not. But she didn't want to go through it all again. So this was it.

Haley looked up at him, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "Goodbye, Nathan." She replied quietly, closing her eyes.

And with that, he was gone. Almost as if he had not been in her home that day, but she could feel him. His presence lingered on her skin, and the goosebumps on her arms proved that he had been there. She sunk down onto the couch, pressing her face into her hands.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm fairly pleased with this chapter, actually.**

 **Chapter 6**

 _Nathan stood on his balcony, leaning against the railing. He raised his eyebrows, looking around in confusion. He had absolutely no memory of how he'd ended up out here, or where the hell his shirt was for that matter. He looked down at the glass in his hand, shaking his head. Red wine. He slowly set it down on the table outside, turning back to look out over his backyard, shaking his head slowly. He heard the balcony door open and close, letting out a deep sigh, but not turning around. It was Carrie, most likely. She'd been walking around like she owned the place lately._

 _"Hey handsome." A familiar voice said behind him, causing him to turn around quickly._

 _His mouth went dry at the sight in front of him. Haley was standing in front of him, wearing one of his white button down shirts. It was part way buttoned up, but he could see her black lace bra peeking through it. He swallowed loudly, letting out a deep breath. "That's where my shirt went." He said, smirking at her._

 _Haley laughed, pushing him back up against the railing slowly, "You can have it back if you want." She said to him, kissing along his collar bone._

 _"It looks better on you." He responded, resting his hands on her waist, letting out a deep breath._

 _"Mm?" She hummed, smirking slightly. "I'm enjoying my view right now too." She said, standing on her toes and kissing him deeply, resting one hand on his cheek, her other arm wrapping around his neck._

 _Nathan pulled her close to him, kissing her her back. He let his eyes close, pulling back after a second, "Should we be doing this outside?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows._

 _She kissed down his neck as soon as he started talking, shrugging slightly. "Who cares?" She asked him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I'll take what I can get."_

 _He looked down at her, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, which he would more than happily give to her in a second, since she did in fact look much better than him in it. "You know, this shirt is almost see through. If only it was raining." He whispered, glancing up at the sky. With that, the stars were covered by clouds and the sound of thunder rang through their ears._

 _"Mm, well it seems to be your lucky day." Haley whispered, pulling him closer to her, winking at him. She glanced up as rain started to drizzle down onto them, before looking at his face. "Well?"_

 _"Wow, it must be." He replied, letting his eyes look over her. "Wow." He said softly, smirking down at her. "You're sexy as hell."_

 _She bit down on her bottom lip, grinning as it started to rain harder, looking over the railing briefly, before looking back at him. She picked up the wine off the table, taking a long drink of it, before setting it back down. "Well, I plan on having my way with you, Nathan Scott."_

 _"Right here on the balcony?" He asked her in disbelief, raising his eyebrows._

 _"Right here one the balcony." Haley repeated back to him, peppering kisses along his chest._

 _He smirked slightly, pulling her shirt open, pushing it off her shoulders, looking down at her. "This is a dangerous game to play, especially because I have a thing for girls named Haley James."_

 _"I don't mind taking the risk." She hummed, removing the shirt from around her body, setting it on the back of one of the chairs. She ran her fingers through his wet hair, letting her hands find their way to his back, smoothing them over the muscles there._

 _He nodded at her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, shivering at the feeling of her body under his hands. Nathan kissed her again, his eyes shutting tightly, pulling her closer to him. She felt so real. His feeling felt real. The whole situation felt completely real. But something was off, and he knew it. But at the moment, he didn't care. He sat down in one of the chairs, pulling her down into his lap. "I love the rain."_

 _Haley laughed, tangling her fingers in his hair and smiling down at him. "Yeah, well I love..."_

And just like that, Nathan's eyes blinked open. His breathing was ragged. His eyes widened at the memory of the dream he just had. Well that was unusual. It had been some time since he'd had a dream Haley. He glanced over at the girl next to him in bed, before looking at the ceiling. The dream hit him again, causing him to freeze. "Oh shit." He said out loud, jumping out of bed. He began to pace the room, running his fingers through his hair, "Shit, shit, shit." He repeated, shaking his head quickly.

Carrie looked up at him with a confused face, rubbing her eyes. "Nathan?" She questioned him.

"Carrie, I think you need to go. I'm sorry, I have a busy day. I'll call you. Please be gone by the time I'm out of the shower, please. I don't want to explain but I just need to focus on my day." He said quickly, continuing to pace across the room.

She frowned, nodding slowly. "You called me over here, Nathan."

"I know, and now I'm asking you to go. I'm sorry. This isn't serious, we both know that. I need you to leave." He repeated, letting out a deep breath and rushing into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and leaning back against it. He didn't really have a busy day, not at all. Honestly, he was just waiting for Jamie and Haley to get back from her parent's house, and they probably wouldn't be back until near four o'clock. But he couldn't be around Carrie right now. He needed to process what had just happened to him, decide if it meant anything or if it was just a dream. Because if it meant something, things were about to get a hell of a lot more complicated. He rested his head back against the door, letting out a deep sigh and venturing towards the shower, turning it on quickly.

xxxx

Peyton sat down across from Nathan, looking at him and raising her eyebrows. "It doesn't happen very often that you call and request for me. So what is it that you can't talk to Lucas, Brooke, or Jake about?" She asked him, nodding.

"Just wanted to hang out with my old friend." Nathan said, tapping his fingers on the table, setting a cup of coffee in front of her. "Just how you like it. I ordered it when you told me you were leaving so it wouldn't be too hot. I know how you hate that. Oh, and I also got you a scone." He said, nodding at her slowly.

"Nathan, as much as I appreciate the free food... What's going on?" She asked him, picking up her coffee and taking a small sip of it.

"Let's talk about you first." He said, leaning against the table. "How have you been?"

"Fine. Jenny can be a handful, but Jake and I manage. We have sort of a good cop, bad cop thing going on." Peyton informed him, shrugging slightly. "Now, honestly, Nathan. I'm not usually the person you go to with problems."

"Peyton, you're my friend. I can take you to coffee without needing to vent." He said, letting out a small sigh.

"Coffee, maybe. But when you buy me a scone, there's some venting that needs to happen. So lay it on me." She laughed, nodding at him and smiling slightly.

"I didn't want to talk to Lucas, because as much as he tells me I can tell him things, this just kind of feels like something I better not share with him. I can't tell Brooke because Brooke won't keep her mouth shut. I just don't feel like it's Jake's type of situation to handle. But you... I trust that you won't tell anyone." Nathan said quietly, looking down at the table. "I need you to promise you won't tell anyone."

She raised her eyebrows, nodding at him slowly. "I promise that I won't tell anyone." She responded, frowning slightly. "Are you okay?"

He tapped his fingers on the table, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I, um... I... I had sex dream about Haley."

Peyton paused, looking at him. "Well, now I see why you couldn't turn to Lucas or Brooke." She said, clearing her throat.

"I just... Needed to talk about it with someone. I woke up, and I saw Carrie next to me... And it was like a wave of disappointment crashed over me." He said softly. "What do you think it means?"

"What do you think?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know, Peyton. That's why I'm asking you." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Is this the first time this has happened to you?" She asked him.

Nathan shifted slightly, looking down and kicking his foot at the ground. "I shouldn't have talked about this with anyone. I should just forget about it."

"No, Nate. It's good to let your feelings out. Sometimes it's hard to crack your shell, you know." She assured him, resting her hand on his arm. "I thought you and Carrie weren't serious."

"We aren't." He said quickly, shaking his head. "No."

"But she spends the night at your house." She pointed out, crossing her arms.

"She pretends to be asleep until I give up and let her stay." Nathan grumbled, taking a long drink of his coffee. "I don't want to talk about her."

Peyton looked at him, nodding slowly. "It's better if we don't talk about her anyways, since we all have a different opinion of her than you do apparently." She said, sighing. "Anyways, back to your sex dream. What happened?"

"Um, I'm not going to tell you that." He said, shaking his head quickly.

"Why not?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Because I probably shouldn't even be telling you any of this stuff but I need help." Nathan sighed, scowling at her. "Please just tell me what you think, Sawyer."

She looked at him, leaning against the table and resting her chin on her palm. "Maybe it was just a thing that happened, Nathan."

"You think?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know. You said it's happened before." She said, shrugging slightly.

"This one just seemed... Different." He said, clearing his throat. "I shouldn't be talking about this."

"You need to let out your feelings more, buddy." She laughed, smiling at him. "What made this different?"

"I think before I woke up, she was going to tell me that she loved me." He said, letting out a deep sigh.

"Hm." Peyton nodded at him slowly, "Did you love her, Nathan?"

"Yeah, I did. Of course." He said softly, looking down at his coffee.

"Do you love her now?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Not in the way I used to... At least I don't think I do." He said, letting out a deep breath. "No. I don't love her like that. It's been too long for me to even think that."

She nodded, smiling slightly at him. "Then I wouldn't worry about it too much. It was just a thing that happened, Nathan. You don't have any control over your dreams."

Nathan nodded slowly, rubbing his neck and letting out a deep sigh. "Plus... If I did have feelings for her, it would be unfair for me to act on them. Right? I mean, she seems to like Jesse, and it would confuse Jamie a lot."

"Right." She said to him, looking at him and sighing softly. "You deserve happiness, Nathan. You really do."

"I am happy." He assured her, smiling slightly. "How could I not be? Have you met Jamie? I don't need a girlfriend to be happy. I don't need a girlfriend in general, honestly. The last girl I tried to date cheated on me, so..." He said, shrugging slightly.

Peyton rested her hand on his, nodding. "I'm sorry about that, I really am."

"It's whatever." He responded, looking down at the table. "I'm happy."

"I hope so." She said, squeezing his hand lightly.

"I am." He responded, nodding at her.

"What time do they get home today?" Peyton asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Haley said probably around four or five." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"You excited?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Very. I miss Jamie." Nathan chuckled, nodding. "It feels like it's even forever. But I get that he wants to go hang out with his cousins. And Haley wants to spend time with her siblings and parents."

"Yeah. How's he doing? With the whole... You and Haley mess that's going on?" Peyton asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I think he's confused. He's growing up so fast, and picking up on a lot of things." He said, shaking his head. "He doesn't understand. I don't know how to deal with it when he asks me questions."

"You'll figure it out. You and Haley both will." She assured him, sending him a small smile.

"I hope so." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

Peyton stood up after a second, nodding at him. "I have to go. You'll figure it out. Good luck with the sex dreams. Hope I don't start making appearances." She said, smirking at him.

Nathan rolled his eyes, standing up and hugging her briefly. "As if. Thanks for talking to me, Peyton." He said, nodding at her.

"Anytime, buddy." She said, nodding up at him. "If pictures of us show up in the newspapers, I'm suing you for say... A million dollars?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Good luck with that." He said, smiling at her. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Nate. Have fun with Jamie tonight. Call me if you need anything else. I could be your personal therapist." Peyton hummed, ruffling his hair. "Thanks for the coffee." She said, waving at him and heading out.

Nathan sat down at the table, letting out a breath of relief. He felt better after his conversation with Peyton. He was still a little hesitant, but it was just a thing that happened. Or so he hoped.

xxxx

Haley pulled into her driveway, finding Nathan sitting on her front steps. She looked over at her dozing son, smiling slightly. "Jamie, check it out. Dad is waiting for you." She hummed, reaching behind her and nudging his foot softly.

Jamie lifted his head, looking at the window and rubbing his eyes, yawning. He smiled brightly, waving out the window at Nathan.

As soon as Haley got out of the car, Nathan couldn't take his eyes off her. Her hair was up in a bun and she was wearing sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt, her glasses perched on her nose. She looked like she'd been driving all day, which was what she'd been doing. But damn.

"Sorry that we're a little late, they were doing construction and I was going to call you but Jamie had my phone and he fell asleep with it." She said, shaking her head. "It just took forever to get out of construction, I'm done driving places- What are you staring at?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan snapped into attention, shaking his head. "Nothing." He said, clearing his throat. He quickly walked over, getting Jamie out of the car. "Hey buddy. How was it?"

"Fun." Jamie responded, nodding at him. "How was it without me?"

"I've been helping Luke out with his basketball camp all week. Actually, I was hoping you'd help me tomorrow." Nathan suggested, nodding at him.

"You want me to help coach the Ravens?" Jamie asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah! They need some help. They haven't been very good since I was in high school." Nathan said, ruffling his hair and setting him on the ground.

"It's true, Jamie." Haley said, nodding at their son. "Get your bag out of the car and take it up to your room." She said, nodding at him. "Nathan, a word?" She said, looking over at him.

Nathan looked over at her, nodding slowly. "Sure." He said, clearing his throat. He watched Jamie rush inside with his bag, before turning back to Haley. "What's up?"

She sighed, rubbing her neck. "So, his cousins have put some thoughts in his head and he's been asking a lot of questions, and saying a lot of things. About us, and things like that." She said softly, looking up at him.

He nodded slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets, sighing softly. "I'm sure he'll get over it." He said, shrugging. "He's five, it's normal." He mumbled, meeting her eyes. She'd always hated the fact that she'd had brown eyes. Often comparing them to his blue eyes, but they were gorgeous. He'd always thought they were kind and comforting, just like her. They were calm and gentle, almost like a life raft in a storm, keeping him above the water. They were beautiful. She was beautiful. Even after driving all day long, probably listening to the same song over and over again because Jamie wanted to hear it just "one more time" or having to forget the music all together and listen to Jamie watching a show that he'd seen a hundred times but never got tired of, and no matter how much she hated it, she put up with it because he laughed at the same things every time. After all the stress of driving for hours with a five year old that doesn't like to sit still, she looked like she could fall asleep at any second, but she was still gorgeous. He shook his head, inwardly telling himself to stop it. He had always known she was beautiful, but he couldn't let himself fall to these thoughts. Not again. Especially not now, since they'd decided a couple weeks ago that they were done being friends, and only going to focus on raising Jamie. He couldn't let his thoughts go back to his dream the night before, or let himself think about how adorable she was when she wore her glasses. He looked at her t-shirt, sighing softly. He knew for a fact that it belonged to Lucas. Throughout high school, she'd stolen their clothes many of times. Unfortunately, when they broke up, Nathan had taken all of his stuff with him in an angry rage, and now he was regretting it.

He blinked out of his thoughts when he realized that she had been talking the whole entire time, and was now staring at him with an annoyed expression, her arms crossed, and she was tapping her foot.

"What are you staring at? Did you hear anything I just said?" Haley asked him, shaking her head and sighing softly.

"No. Sorry." He admitted, looking down at the ground and rubbing his neck.

She let out another sigh, picking up her suitcase out of the trunk of her car. "Look, can you talk to him? You know, man to man."

He looked at her, shrugging slightly. "What should I say?"

"I tried to explain it to him, Nathan. I've tried many times." She said, rubbing her neck. "He listens to you, just tell him that it won't happen. But... Be nicer about it. Please."

"Yeah. Okay. I'll talk to him." He said, nodding at her. "But I've talked to him about it already, Hales."

Haley sighed, letting out a deep breath. "Just talk to him again, please? If it doesn't work, then we'll sit down with him together."

"Alright." He said softly, following her into her house. "So, uh... How was the trip?"

"Fine." She responded, shrugging slightly. "As fun as the James household can be."

Nathan smiled slightly, nodding at her. "Try spending some time with the Scott family. That's where the real fun is." He said sarcastically, following her up the stairs slowly.

"Oh, believe me. I know." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"How was Jamie on the drive?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He was okay." She responded, stopping in front of her bedroom door, leaning against it.

"Good." Nathan said, nodding slowly. "Alright... I'll just... Head into Jamie's room." He said awkwardly, hurrying down the hall into Jamie's room.

Haley shook her head, stepping into her room and closing the door behind her. She left her suitcase on the ground, sitting down on her bed and letting out a deep breath. She was supposed to meet Jesse for dinner later, but right now, all she wanted to do was reschedule and sleep for the rest of the day. She fell back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was something about the interaction she'd just had with Nathan gave her chills. The way he was staring at her was different than the way he'd looked at her for the past few years. Especially over the past couple weeks. They'd barely looked at each other unless Jamie was around, then they went back to playing pretend. But he seemed different today. Uncomfortable to be around her, as usual, but a different type of uncomfortable. She was almost certain that he had checked her out several times, but did it mean anything? Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself. The thoughts roaming around her head were ridiculous. The way her heart was beating, was ridiculous. She stood up slowly, heading out of the room to make sure everything was okay with Jamie.

Haley stopped next to wide open door so she was out of view, raising her eyebrows when she heard them talking about her.

"Do you think Mama is pretty?" Jamie asked Nathan, looking at him and raising his eyebrows.

"Your mom? Of course. She's very pretty." Nathan responded, clearing his throat.

"Do you think she's nice?" Jamie questioned him, sitting on the bed.

"Yeah. She's really nice, Jame." Nathan replied, shrugging slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you like her cooking?" Jamie hummed to him, standing up on his bed, jumping up and down.

"Yeah?" Nathan said in a questioning tone, blinking at him.

"Do you think that she's a good mom?" He continued to question him.

"I think she's a great mom." Nathan said slowly, watching his son.

"And you really think she's pretty?"

"I think she's beautiful, Jamie. You're lucky to have her as a mom. Why?"

"Because I think she's pretty too." Jamie said, shrugging slightly. "Will you grab my cape? It's in my bag."

Nathan chuckled quietly, grabbing Jamie's cape out of the bag, raising his eyebrows as something caught his eye. A picture of him and Haley from senior prom. Though the years had passed, he remembered it so vividly.

The whole night his brain tried wrap around the fact that he was at prom with her. Tried to wrap around the fact that he was holding her in his arms, and doing one of the things he despised, dancing. But with her, he hadn't felt like he was making a fool of himself. He was just with her. She'd mentioned casually one day that she probably wouldn't be attending prom because no one would ask her, and that blew his mind. No one asking Haley James? That was ridiculous. So immediately, with the help of Brooke, he through together a plan and asked her the next day. Of course, she'd said yes. And eventually, it rolled around. When the picture was taken, he had arrived late at her house, much to his dismay, and Haley was tense because her parents would not let them just leave. But they could not find their camera, and it took them what seemed like forever to find it. Then she was getting frustrated because they were already running late, yet Lydia and James couldn't figure out how to work the damn thing. Eventually, they'd gotten it to work and started taking pictures.

Nathan remembered how her tense body immediately relaxed when he put his arm around her, and how she leaned into his arm. The way she looked, the way she smelled. All these thoughts were surrounding him. They'd been good friends, but they learned so much about each other that night.

Flashes of being with her after the dance popped into his head. They'd gone home and changed clothes, then went to the beach and sat in the sand. Haley had admitted so much to him. She'd told him that she was scared to leave Tree Hill, and go out on her own. She was ready, but still scared. He'd told her the same thing. They both sat quietly for a little while, neither of them speaking, Nathan just watching Haley drink. She'd also told him that she was tired of being the girl that everyone expected her to be, specifically singling out Lucas. She'd said that she loved him but he wouldn't let her do anything, and he didn't and shouldn't have any control over her life. She said that she wanted to do something crazy. Nathan had a few drinks, but he was no where near drunk. So he told her that he had an idea. They drove over to his Dad's house, and toilet papered it. This way she would feel the rush, but not have the guilt because if anyone deserved it, it was Dan Scott. She had thanked him countlessly for making her feel alive, for a short period of time. She'd leaped into his arms, throwing hers around his neck. He could see her sober up as they made eye contact, their faces centimeters from each other. They'd kissed each other once before, a drunken Nathan had tried to use his lines and his moves on her after she'd dropped him off at home after a party. He'd had a girlfriend at the time, but both of them brushed it off as a mistake. This had felt different though, they were both breathing heavily, searching each other's minds. And Haley kissed him. Different than the first kiss, which was just a peck on the lips, this was a full on kiss, that was escalating quickly. In front of his dad's house. Nathan had pulled away, and told her this wasn't necessary. And she had done something unexpected. He'd seen more of a wild side to her than Lucas had, but he was not expected what happened next. Rain had started to drizzle down, and after a short moment of standing there, she had pushed him back until his body connected with his car, and kissed him again. After a minute, Haley pulled away. She had hesitated for a second, before informing him that she was a virgin. He had known that the previous year, but she'd had a steady boyfriend for the whole summer following their junior year, and he figured that was not true anymore. And then she rambled on again about how everyone expected her to be this perfect girl, and for the most part, she liked being that girl. And she went on and on, and Nathan listened patiently, a crooked smile on his face as he listened to her, rain pouring down all around them, which started their whole rain thing in the first place. After going on for awhile, she had kissed him again, and whispered that she trusted him, more than anyone. She told him that she wanted to do something crazy, with him, and that she didn't trust anyone else enough to do this with her. He'd understood immediately, and he could feel the heat in him rise as she got closer to him. So he had informed her that his mother wasn't home. And then they went went back to his mom's house. He'd repeatedly checked with her to make sure this was was she wanted, and every time she'd looked him dead in the eyes and told him that it was. So they had sex. And Nathan took her home at around two in the morning, a smile never leaving either of their faces. They'd both known that once the next day came, they would just go back to normal, and neither of them would ever tell anyone what happened. Nathan had walked her up to the door, Haley thanking him for the great night, kissing him once more, and then she was gone. The following day, she went back to being tutor girl. And they didn't talk about it again until they started dating after graduation.

Here he was, close to seven years later, every detail of that memory locked in his mind. He shook his head quickly. He shouldn't be thinking about this at all, let alone in front of their five year old son. Nathan whipped around, finding Jamie staring at him with a confused look on his face.

He cleared his throat, holding out the cape. "Sorry, buddy. I zoned out for a little bit. Here's your cape." He said, tying it around his neck.

Jamie nodded, continuing to jump up and down on the bed.

Nathan nodded at him, "Hey Jame? Where did you get that picture in your bag?"

"Oh! Grandma Lydia gave it to me." Jamie informed him, humming softly.

Nathan nodded slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets and watching him quietly.

"Hey, what do you think of this house?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"I think it's nice." Nathan informed him, looking around and shrugging. "You should probably stop jumping on your bed before your mom sees you."

Jamie jumped from the bed, over to Nathan, who caught him quickly. "So if you think Mama is pretty, and nice, and cooks yummy food, and you like this house... Why don't you marry her like Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas, and live here?"

Nathan sighed, looking at his son and holding him up. "Jamie, I love you. I think your mom is an amazing woman, and I have so much respect for her. But it's just difficult. We'll talk about this more at my house, okay?"

Jamie let out a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Fine. But you owe me."

"You got it." Nathan laughed, setting him down. "Now grab the stuff you need for my house and we'll head out."

Haley rushed away from the door, and down the stairs. She felt bad, for Jamie. Because he was so young and he just didn't understand. She thought back to the words Nathan had spoken about her. He had not said much, but they brought a smile to her face, and she couldn't help but wonder what picture her mother gave to Jamie. She probably wouldn't see it until they returned to the system of having Jamie every other night next week.

She sat down at the kitchen table, removing her glasses and pressing her face into her hands and letting out a deep sigh.

A few minutes later, Jamie came hurrying down the stairs, running up to Haley. "Bye Mama!"

"Bye baby." Haley said, hugging him tightly. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"What are you doing tonight? You could come?" Jamie suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"Thank you for the offer, sweetheart. But I think Jesse is going to come over." Haley said, smiling at him. That was what she needed. She really liked Jesse, and she needed to remind herself of that to push the thought of Nathan out of her head. She was done with Nathan, and she needed to remember that.

Jamie nodded slowly, looking up at Nathan. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, buddy. Let's get out of here." Nathan said, nodding at Haley.

Jamie hugged Haley once more, before rushing out the door.

Nathan slung his bag around his shoulder, "Have fun, Hales. Let me know if you need anything." He said, clearing his throat and heading out the door.

Haley nodded, waving at him and sitting quietly after the front door closed. She pulled out her phone, texting Jesse to let him know that there was a change in plans and that she'd rather have him bring take out to her house.

She really did like Jesse, and it bothered her how much she shielded her heart in their relationship. They'd been going out since May, so it was approaching three months, but she wouldn't let him spend much time with Jamie, and didn't consider him a boyfriend, though she supposed he was. Brooke referred to him as her boyfriend a couple weeks ago, and she got a little defensive about it. She was grateful that he was so patient with her, and after four years of struggling with guys, and always choosing the one that would bail on her once they found out she had a son, it felt nice to have a guy that didn't run away. The time that he had spent with Jamie went fairly well, but she didn't want to expose Jamie to him too much. Maybe for her own selfish reasons, but maybe it was for Nathan's sake. She didn't want Nathan to feel like any less of Jamie's father, ever. She read Jesse's reply of understanding, standing up and heading up the stairs.

xxxx

Jesse looked over at Haley, who was silently watching the movie, not really eating her food, just pushing it around with her fork. "Haley, what's wrong?" He asked her, pausing the movie.

"What?" Haley responded, looking over at him.

"You've been quiet." Jesse pointed out, raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day." Haley informed him, clearing her throat.

He nodded at her slowly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pushing play on the movie.

Haley cuddled herself into his side, resting her head on his shoulder and glancing over at the clock on the wall. Jamie should be calling her any minute to say goodnight, even though she'd just seen him a few hours ago. As far as she knew, the movie they were watching still had quite awhile left. But they'd been watching it for about an hour, so she hoped it was almost over. Her thoughts were elsewhere at the moment, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the guy next to her.

After awhile, her phone did start ringing, and she shot up quickly. "Sorry, Jesse. It's Nathan." She said, standing up and sighing softly. "Well, it's Jamie."

"Don't worry about it. I can pause the movie, if you'd like." Jesse said, nodding up at her.

"That's alright, I won't be long." Haley said, smiling at him and walking into a different room, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi!" Jamie said into the phone, humming softly.

"Hi Hales. He's in bed, as promised." Nathan chuckled, setting the phone down on the bed and sighing softly.

"Good." She laughed, letting out a deep breath. "Goodnight, Jamie. I love you so much."

"Love you too." Jamie responded, looking up at Nathan.

Nathan nodded at him, "Go on." He said, sitting down.

"Mama, will you sing me a song?" Jamie asked her, picking up the phone and laying back against the bed.

Haley smiled brightly, "Of course, baby. What song do you want?"

"You pick." Jamie hummed, looking over at Nathan.

Nathan closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath when Haley started to sing. It was a song he'd heard her sing to Jamie countless times when he was a baby, to try to calm him down. This was not the situation he should've put himself in. A few weeks ago, he was ready to end it all with her, and just focus on raising their son. But it was almost as if he'd done a complete 180, and had changed his mind. Convincing her would be the hard part, especially when he had someone she very much disliked attached to his arm.

"Is he asleep?" Haley asked from the phone, once she had stopped singing, bringing him away from his thoughts once again.

Nathan looked down at Jamie, letting out a small sigh. "Yeah, he's asleep."

"Good." Haley responded, leaning against the wall.

"You're a good singer, Haley." He informed her, clearing his throat.

"Thanks, Nathan." She said, smiling slightly.

They sat quietly on the phone for a second, before she cleared her throat. "Well, Goodnight. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Goodnight, Haley."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Haley sat on Nathan's couch with Jamie while he watched a TV show, glancing at her phone and letting out a small sigh. Nathan was running late, and about an hour ago he had called her and said that he would be there soon, and told them just to go inside. But he still wasn't there. And it didn't help that the sky was being filled with dark clouds. It had yet to rain or anything, but it was supposed to get a little crazy, so it would give her a little peace of mind if Nathan was home. And as soon as he got home, she could go home herself, and have the quiet night she planned. She loved having Jamie around, but lately he'd been bombarding her with extra questions, despite the fact that Nathan claimed he talked to him about it. She just needed a night to breathe.

Jamie looked up at his mother, pointing at the TV. "Are you watching?"

"Yes, sweetie." Haley laughed, rubbing Jamie's back for a second.

After a minute of silence, Jamie turned to her. "Are you going to marry Jesse?"

She blinked quickly, looking down at him. "Jamie, I'm far from marrying anyone." She said softly, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"Maybe you can marry Daddy." He said, shrugging slightly and looking back at the TV.

She let out a deep sigh, kissing Jamie's head. "I love you, baby." She said, shaking her head.

"Why aren't you married to him?" He questioned her for the millionth time, frowning.

She looked down at him again, hugging him into her side. "Because getting married wasn't the right thing to do."

"Grandma told me stories about when you guys were in high school. Why don't you tell me stories?" He asked her, sighing softly.

"I don't know. I tell you stories about Uncle Lucas." She said, shrugging slightly.

Jamie let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the couch and looking up at the TV.

She looked down at her son, grabbing the TV remote and turning down the volume. "What do you want to know, Jamie?"

"I want to know how you became friends." Jamie said simply, shrugging and looking at her with a big grin on his face.

Haley turned to him, crossing her legs on the couch and facing her son. "Well, your dad... He was a little different than he is now. He didn't like Lucas very much. Lucas didn't like him, and I didn't like him. When we first met, he was, um... Dating Aunt Peyton."

Jamie looked up at her with wide eyes, "He dated Aunt Peyton?" He asked, blinking at her.

"Yeah." She laughed, smiling at her son. "Anyways, your dad is very smart, Jamie. But he wasn't the best when it came to school. So he needed a lot of help, and when I ended up being assigned to be his tutor. I was pretty upset because I didn't like him very much. At first I said no, but eventually he wore me down and I agreed. I told him that he had to leave Lucas alone though."

"What happened after that?" Jamie asked her, smiling at her.

"Well, he was late on the very first day." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "He brought some coffee and food, and he gave me this silly little bracelet and said the phrase 'Don't say I never gave you anything.' And I was mad at him, and pretty much told him that I wasn't going to do this if he pulled stuff like this I wasn't going to help him anymore. And that I didn't care that he was Nathan Scott, basketball superstar. I was only here to tutor him." She said, shrugging. "And it took some time, but he didn't bug Luke as much, and he really started to open up to me and tell me things about himself. And we just became friends, and eventually him and Lucas did too."

Jamie smiled, nodding at her. "I like when you tell me stories better. Grandma doesn't know as much as you." He said, shrugging slightly.

"Grandma likes to make up a lot too." Haley said, shaking her head. She knew that her mother missed Nathan dearly, and a lot of times when she dropped by she would go check in on her nearly son-in-law to make sure he was doing alright. Haley had spoken to her mother many times about being careful with the things she says around Jamie, but it never seemed to help.

"Does Daddy have a girlfriend?" Jamie questioned her, glancing over at the TV.

Haley let out a deep breath, studying her son's face for a moment. She inwardly rolled her eyes, honestly hating the answer to that question. It wasn't because Nathan had a girlfriend, or whatever she was. But she just couldn't stand the fact that it was Carrie. Thankfully, since Jamie asked this question, odds were he hadn't ran into her yet. She met Jamie's eyes again, smiling slightly. "I think that's a question you better ask him instead." She said softly, flattening out his hair. "Come cuddle with me before he gets here." She hummed, turning to face the TV again and pulling Jamie into her side, hugging him close.

After a few minutes, Nathan walked into his house, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter. "Hey, sorry it took so long. It was supposed to be a short trip there and back but I ran into some drama." He said, letting out a deep breath.

Jamie ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Hey!" He yelled, smiling brightly.

Nathan scooped him up, hugging him close. "You saw me yesterday, Jamie." He laughed, smiling at him.

"I know, but I missed you." Jamie said simply, attempting to wink at him.

Nathan laughed, setting him down on the ground, ruffling his hair a bit. "I like being missed."

Haley stood up, letting out a small sigh. "Hi Nathan." She said, nodding at him.

"Hales." He responded, clearing his throat and smiling at her.

"Hey! Let's go outside. Please, please, please? Before it starts raining? Please?" Jamie begged him, tugging on his arm softly.

"Sure thing, Jame. I just need to talk to your mom real quick." Nathan said, nodding slowly, looking out side. It was getting dark. "Stay where we can see you." He added, smiling slightly at him.

Jamie nodded, waving at his parents and rushing outside.

Haley raised her eyebrows at Nathan, crossing her arms. "What do we need to talk about?"

Nathan looked at her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How was your day first?"

"It was fine. What is it, Nathan? I need to get going." She said, nodding at him.

He sighed softly, "I didn't want to just jump into this, Haley. So... Tell me about your day."

"I played with a five year old all day. How was your day?" She gave in, sighing softly.

"I have to work with my ex-girlfriend for the Rainstorm Body Spray stuff, and that's never fun. And she was being especially unprofessional today. So we'll see what happens. And I wanted nothing more than to come home and spend time with my son. Which is my transition to my next idea. I wanted to come home to my son, but I realized that he was a plane ride away." Nathan began, letting out a deep breath.

Haley raised her eyebrows, leaning against the arm of the couch, nodding at him expectantly.

"I think that maybe you and Jamie should move to Charlotte." He said simply, shrugging. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

She frowned, thinking about his words for a second, letting out a small sigh. "I don't think so, Nathan."

"Haley, why not?" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

She stood up straight, taking a step towards him. "Well, my job is here, Nathan."

"Yeah, but my job is in Charlotte." He retaliated, sighing softly.

"Yes, but you're gone for most of the year, Nathan. Jamie is with me most of the time, so shouldn't I get to live where I'm comfortable?" She questioned him, scowling.

He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "The reason he's with you most of the time is because I can't fly all the way to Tree Hill every day! I'd see him way more if you lived closer. Plus he'd get to go to more games."

"All his friends are here. All my friends are here." She argued, shaking her head.

"He'd make new friends, and so would you. Come on, Haley. I'm missing everything. I missed his first words, and his first steps. I don't like to miss things. He's starting kindergarten soon and I want to be apart of that." He said, stepping closer to her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"I gave up my dream school to follow you to Duke, Nathan. Why should I keep postponing what I want so that you can have what you want?" She asked him, rolling her eyes and shoving his hand off, glancing out glass door, seeing Jamie bouncing his rubber basketball.

"I didn't ask you to do that, Haley! I would've gone with you in a heartbeat, but that doesn't even matter right now. But I'm asking you to do this. It might be hard, but I miss Jamie so much, and it would make the summers easier too. I could come home to my son instead of coming home to an empty house and then flying back to Tree Hill a week later." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"Nathan, you'd still get home from games super late, and he'd be at my house more than yours anyways. You come to Tree Hill on all of your days off, so you still see him as much as you would." She pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"Haley, you're not being fair! It's not fair that he gets to stay in Tree Hill with you all year." He argued with her, sighing loudly.

"We agreed on this, Nathan!" Haley frowned at him, poking his chest. "We agreed this would be best for him. He's surrounded by people that care about him here, but in Charlotte he would be alone."

"He would have me. And you." Nathan snapped to her, shaking his head. "He would have plenty of other people that care about him too."

"This is our home, Nathan! It's my home, it's your home. It's his home. I want my son to grow up here." Haley replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

"He's our son! I should get to make decisions too." He growled out.

"Yeah, well you can go-" Haley stopped when she looked outside again, "Where's Jamie?" She asked, frowning at stepping forward.

Nathan followed her gaze, his eyes widening as he ran outside, Haley hot on his heels. There Jamie was, floating face down in the pool. He felt his heart pound in his chest, jumping in the pool quickly and grabbing his son, unable to hear anything but Haley's sobs and the thump of his own heart. He quickly set Jamie on the concrete next to the pool, watching Haley scoop up their son and slap his face a couple of times. Nathan climbed up next to her, watching the scene play out in front of him.

After a few seconds, Jamie coughed up water, and Haley felt herself fall apart. Nothing seemed important to her at that moment. Not the fight her and Nathan were just having, not going home and relaxing, nothing but the small child in her arms. She could feel her heart pound, and more tears flow as Jamie started to cry, hugging her tightly.

Nathan stared down at Jamie with a terrified expression, unable to speak or move. He let out a deep breath, coming to his senses and wrapping his arms tightly around the two people in front of him, pulling Haley and Jamie into his chest, closing his eyes tightly, his eyes filling with tears as he listened to them both sob. If Haley had not noticed Jamie, this could've ended very badly. He didn't even want to think about the pain he would've felt. These two people in his arms, they were the most important people in his life. He cared about them both so much. Nothing was more important than their family. He let out a deep breath, kissing the top of Haley's head and rubbing Jamie's back softly.

They sat there for a few minutes, clinging to each other as though their lives depended on it, until it started to rain. It was a light rainfall at first, barely noticeable. But once it got heavier, Nathan stood up, helping Haley to her feet, who was still clutching Jamie to her, shaking slightly. He kissed her head once more, resting her hand on his back and guiding her inside.

Haley let out a deep breath, gripping Jamie's t-shirt tightly, biting down on her lip, looking at Nathan. "Should we take him to the hospital?" She whispered, bursting into another round of sobs.

Nathan shook his head slowly, unable to respond to her. He let out a deep breath, swallowing loudly and wrapping his arms around his family once again, Jamie sandwiched in between the two of them.

Again, it took them a few moments to move from this position, all three of them shivering. Not from being cold though, but from the fear of what could've happened.

Nathan finally spoke, in a hushed voice. "Take him upstairs and change him into pajamas." He said softly, nodding at her, brushing his hand over Jamie's head. He kissed the top of Jamie's head softly, letting out a deep breath. "I'm going to change too."

Haley nodded slowly, looking up at Nathan for a second, before looking down at their son, turning and heading up the stairs.

Nathan followed after her, watching her walk into Jamie's room, before heading into his own room, breathing heavily. He changed quickly, setting a pair of sweats and a t-shirt on the bed for Haley, just in case she wanted to change. He pressed his face into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. He should've been watching their son better. This was his and Haley's most prized possession, and they just let him go outside on his own. What the hell was he thinking? He could feel his heart breaking at the memory of his son crying, as well as the look on Haley's face when he pulled him out of the water. If he hadn't decided that now was the perfect time to speak to Haley, he would've been outside with his son. This would not have happened. He could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate, his chest feeling as though it was constricting, and his head was spinning.

He sat there for a few minutes, his head down, feeling overwhelmed by anger at himself, sorrow for his son and for Haley, pain for what could've happened. A gentle knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. He stood up quickly, pulling it open slowly. He looked down at Haley, who was holding Jamie close to her, his head rested on her shoulder. He looked pretty big in her arms, but Nathan knew she didn't care.

"Hey." Haley said to him, kissing Jamie's head softly.

"Hey. I uh, I thought maybe you'd want to change clothes." He said, gesturing to her. "I have some, and they'll be way too big but it's better than wearing wet clothes. I can take him."

She bit her lip, hugging Jamie tighter to her and sniffling. "I'm fine." She said softly, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan looked at her, before disappearing into his room again. He reappeared holding up a pair of gray sweats and a black, long sleeve Duke shirt. It was one of the shirts that she had claimed as her own when they were in high school. He always kept it, but never wore it again. "He'll be fine, Hales. I promise. I've got him." He assured her quietly.

Haley looked at him for a second, looking at the clothes in his hand. She nodded slowly, shifting Jamie from her arms to Nathan's. "I'll be just a minute, okay?" She said softly to her son, kissing his head. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded again, taking the clothes for Nathan and walking into the bathroom.

Nathan held Jamie close to him, looking down at his son. "Hey buddy. Why don't we go watch a movie?" He suggested, rubbing his back softly. "Mom will be down super quick."

Jamie nodded against his neck, hugging Nathan tightly, gripping his shirt collar.

Nathan let out a deep breath, walking down the stairs slowly, sitting down on the couch, turning Jamie so he was facing the TV. "You're alright, buddy. I'm here." He said softly, rubbing his back. "I'm here, and I'll protect you." He assured his son, pulling his head back to rest on his shoulder. "How does Cars sound, huh? You like Cars."

Jamie nodded at him, his bottom lip quivering slightly.

Nathan couldn't stand to watch Jamie cry anymore. He was about to lose his control on his own body and let the flood gates loose if his son let out another tear. "Hey, hey. You're okay, Jame." He said, hugging him tightly. "Do you want to go see everything that I bought yesterday? I bought all your favorite things." He said quickly, scooping Jamie up and walking into the kitchen. "Look, I bought chocolate ice cream." He said quickly. "Not Rocky Road. Chocolate, just for you." He informed him, opening the freezer. The fact that he son had yet to say a single word scared the hell out of him. But he knew that this was his time to be strong for Jamie and for Haley. "I bought chicken nuggets too. The ones that are dinosaur shaped." He said, pointing them out to Jamie.

Jamie rested his head on Nathan's shoulder, looking at the things he pointed out.

Nathan let out a deep breath, pulling open the fridge. "Look, I bought some Mountain Dew. But you can't tell Mom about that one, okay? That one is our secret." He chuckled to his son, his voice shaking a little bit. "I bought some fruit roll ups, and a lot of fruit snacks. Everything you like."

After a second, Jamie looked up at him. "What else did you buy?" He asked him softly.

Nathan smiled down at his son, "I bought some Oreos, and some Captain Crunch. Pudding. Everything that I thought you would like. Do you want anything right now?"

Jamie nodded, pointing at the Oreos and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan smiled slightly, quickly opening the cupboard and grabbing them off the shelf. "Good choice." He said, walking back into the living room and setting Jamie down on the couch, sitting next to him, setting the cookies on the coffee table, opening them and handing him a few.

Haley came down a short while later, sitting down next to Jamie on the couch, kissing the top of his head and letting out a deep breath.

Jamie leaned into her, his lip quivering again, a fresh batch of tears building in his eyes.

Nathan stood up quickly, shaking his head. He picked up the remote, turning on the movie Cars. "Jamie, watch the movie." He said softly, sitting back down. "Please." He said, wrapping his arm around Jamie, resting his hand on Haley's arm gently.

Haley looked over at Nathan, letting out a deep breath and nodding at him slowly, biting her lip. She was terrified. She was so scared at the thought of losing her baby, she wasn't sure if she'd ever feel peace again. But for some reason, Nathan's hand on her arm helped. The fact that he was probably freaking out inside, but remained strong, helped. His presence was helping her. The way that he was acting with Jamie, was helping her. She looked down at Jamie, who was watching the movie, cuddled up into her side. "I love you, Jamie." She whispered, nuzzling her nose into his hair.

"I love you too." Jamie said quietly, closing his eyes for a second, before blinking them open and looking at the TV again.

Eventually, Jamie did fall asleep. It was nearing eleven when he did. Both Nathan and Haley sat there silently while he slept, watching him, occasionally making eye contact with one another.

Nathan spoke first, standing up slowly. "I think I'm going to out him in my bed tonight." He said softly, nodding at Haley. "Maybe you should stay the night. The storm is getting bad, I'm sure. And it's late."

Haley nodded at him, letting out a deep breath. "Okay." She said softly, rubbing Jamie's shoulder.

He gently picked up Jamie, letting out a deep breath and walking up the stairs slowly, Haley trailing along behind him. He set the sleeping boy down in his bed slowly, smoothing out his hair and studying his face for a second.

Haley leaned over, kissing Jamie's forehead, letting out a deep sigh. She turned to face Nathan a second later, looking up at him and biting her lip.

Nathan took a very brief moment to admire how she looked in his clothes, before he met her gaze. Within seconds, he had pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest.

Haley lost it again when Nathan hugged her, wrapping her arms tightly around him, letting herself fall apart and sob into his neck.

He rubbed her back softly, shaking his head. "He's safe, Haley." He said softly to her. "He's alright."

"I know, but what if..." She began, gripping his shirt tightly.

"Shh, stop it." He assured her, tilting her chin up an pressing a delicate kiss to her forehead.

She closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "We need to stop this, Nathan. I know it was my idea, but we need to stop the arguing, and the bitterness."

Nathan nodded at her, letting out a deep sigh. "I know." He responded, hugging her tightly to him. He rested his chin on top of her head, looking over at Jamie.

"Thank you for being the strong one tonight." She said to him, rubbing his back lightly.

"Of course." He whispered, smiling slightly. "You guys are my family, Haley. We may be a little screwed up, but you're still the two most important people in my life. I'd do anything to protect you guys. Never doubt that."

She nodded at him, letting out a deep breath. "I don't, Nathan. I never would."

"Stay in here tonight, Hales. I think Jamie would like to wake up to you. I'll sleep on the floor, or take the couch. Whatever." He said quietly, nodding over at Jamie.

Haley turned from him for a moment, before grabbing onto his hand, interlocking their fingers for a brief second. "We could both stay in here. I'm sure he'd like his Dad there as well." She suggested quietly, looking up at him.

Nathan met her gaze once more, letting out a slightly shaky breath. "Yeah, alright." He said quietly, nodding at her. "Let me just go lock all the doors and make sure the lights are turned off. I have a new toothbrush and stuff underneath my bathroom sink." He said, before rushing out of the room.

When he returned, Haley was already laying in bed next to Jamie. She was laying on her side, facing their son, gently brushing her fingers through the hair on top of his head.

Nathan got ready for bed, walking out of his bathroom and looking at the two people on the bed. This was not the best idea, he was sure of it. But it's what they both needed, and maybe Jamie too. Each other.

He climbed into bed next to Jamie, looking over at Haley and letting out a deep breath. "Just like you to give me the side closest to the door." He said, smirking slightly.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Hey, you're the big, strong basketball player." She reminded him, shrugging slightly.

"Fair point." He responded, laying back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He looked over every once and awhile to see if Haley was still awake, and she was. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to sleep after coming that close to losing their son. But it would happen eventually.

Haley did fall asleep after a little while, her arm gently draped over Jamie. When she did, Nathan turned on his side and looked at the two people in front of him, letting out a deep breath. They were asleep, and alive. He could feel himself relax a little but, a small smile on his fact. After a few minutes of listening to their steady breathing, sleep found him.


	8. Chapter 8

**I am working on my other stories, but I'm just getting caught up in this story. This had quite a bit of Naley family fluff.**

 **Chapter 8**

Haley woke up, blinking slightly at the strong arm that was draped over his waist. She glanced over her shoulder, feeling her heart rate speed up. Nathan.

It had been five days since Jamie's accident, and when Nathan had showed up at her house the night after it happened, an emotional wreck, she let him in and her, Nathan, and Jamie shared a bed again. Then the next night he'd invited her to stay once more. It became a routine that the three of them would all get into whoever's bed, and then the next morning neither Nathan nor Haley would say anything about it. Neither of them said anything about how after every night, a shirt of his would find its way back to Haley's home. Neither of them said anything, but they both noticed. They'd basically cut off all face to face communication with anyone outside of their little family the past week. Nathan would need to take a phone call from Clay every once and awhile, and Haley had called Brooke and told her to spread the word not to panic when they didn't hear from them, and texted Jesse and gave him a brief explanation of what happened and told him that she would contact him when she felt ready.

But that was it. Jamie was absolutely thrilled that his parents were spending so much time together. Really, they were both just afraid of letting him out of their sights.

This wasn't the first time she had woken up with Nathan's arm around her, but usually there was a small five year old squished in between them. Not today, though. Today it was just the two of them. She glanced at the time. It was nearly nine o'clock. Which was fairly late for her to sleep in. She blamed it on the fact that maybe her brain was calming down and she could sleep a little more peacefully. But deep down, she knew it was due to the fact that she felt so comfortable in his arms.

After a moment, she frowned slightly, getting out of bed quickly, watching as Nathan's arm felt around for a second, before it stilled on her pillow. Her pillow. What was wrong with her? This was her bed. Every single pillow on this bed was her pillow, so why did she specifically point out that one as her pillow. She shook her head, looking around. Where the hell was Jamie? She picked up Nathan's sweatshirt off the floor, rolling her eyes slightly. He probably got hot last night and took it off, and of course he just threw it on her bedroom floor. She shook her head, hanging it up in the closet where two more of his sweatshirts were hung, before heading out of the room.

Haley found Jamie sitting on the couch, watching The Looney Tunes and shoving popcorn from the night before into his mouth. "Hey buddy." She said softly, sitting down next to him. "I don't like waking up without you."

"I tried to wake you up." Jamie said, resting his head against his mother's arm.

"Popcorn for breakfast, huh?" She asked him, kissing the top of his head softly.

"Mhm." Jamie nodded, shoving another handful into his mouth.

"Not the healthiest choice, you know." She said, scrunching her nose at him.

He grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'm still hungry." He said, nodding up at her.

"Mm, tell Dad." She said, hugging him close to her.

"He made breakfast yesterday." Jamie pointed out, leaning into her side.

"Oh, I didn't realize cold cereal was considered making breakfast." She joked, kissing the top of Jamie's head. "Alright, alright. I'll make you some pancakes. But you have to help me."

Jamie looked at the TV, before looking back at his mother. "Really?" He groaned, shaking his head.

"Yes, really." Haley laughed, smiling at him. "Cooking is impressive, Jamie. You'll make someone very happy one day if you know how to cook."

Jamie let out an over exaggerated sigh, standing up slowly. "I could just eat popcorn forever." He pointed out.

She laughed, ruffling his hair. "Come on, Jimmy Jam." She said, standing up and grabbing his hand, pulling him into the kitchen.

Awhile later, Nathan came down the stairs, running his fingers through his hair. He followed the smell into the kitchen, smiling at the sight in front of him.

Haley was focused on flipping the pancakes onto the plate, and while she wasn't paying attention, Jamie was adding some chocolate chips into the mix, unable to hold back laughter, which caused Haley to look up and scold him.

"James Lucas Scott!" She said, a smile growing on her face. "I told you no chocolate chips." She said to him, shaking her finger at him.

"You're smiling." Jamie pointed out, shrugging. "It's fine." He assured her, nodding.

"You don't get to tell me what's fine, Jamie. I'm the mom." Haley laughed, tapping his nose. "But since they're already in there, I suppose it's fine."

They had yet to notice him leaning against the doorway. Nathan smirked slightly, letting his gaze quickly move over his ex-girlfriend. Damn she looked fine in his clothes. His shirt was huge on her much smaller frame, but it looked perfect on her. She was hot as hell. He wasn't going to lie to himself, that's for sure. The main reason he'd spend the night was because he was scared to be without Jamie, and when he was alone, his thoughts would consume him. But there was a small part of him, that he'd attempted to hide that was staying for Haley as well. Waking up with them around him was an amazing feeling. Something that had scared the hell out of both of them had caused a huge shift in their relationship. It was better than before Carrie, and they were only five days in.

Carrie. Her name was even annoying to him. He'd met up with her a couple days before Jamie's accident and told her that it was over, but she never seemed to stop calling. It was annoying as hell. He had no idea why he even started talking to her again. It probably had something to do with Haley and Jesse, even though he hadn't known it at the time. She was a little controlling. Always wanting their relationship to be more. If someone asked to take a picture with him, she would get super pissy and that bugged him so much. And she was still constantly calling him and calling him. He had blocked her number, and she'd used one of her friend's phones to call him, or someone she didn't even know's phone. And it had only been a week since he'd broke it off. He was on the verge of changing is own number.

But that didn't matter right now.

He shook his head, rolling his eyes and stepping into the kitchen, clearing his throat. "Good morning." He said, kissing the top of Haley's head, then Jamie's, before hopping onto the counter top, sitting next to Jamie.

"Morning." Jamie said, smiling brightly up at him. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine." Nathan informed him, ruffling his hair. "What about you?"

"You snore." Jamie pointed out, shaking his head.

"I don't snore." Nathan defended himself, scowling slightly.

"Yes!" Jamie said, laughing.

"No I don't! I never have." Nathan frowned at his son, shaking his head.

Haley laughed quietly, setting the empty bowl of batter into the sink, turning on the water.

"Yes you do! Right, Mama?" Jamie said, looking up at her.

Nathan turned his gaze to Haley, looking at her expectantly. "Haley?" He questioned her.

Haley looked between the two of them, kissing Jamie's forehead. "Well..." She trailed off.

He crossed his arms, letting out a deep breath. "I don't."

"Nathan, it's only when you're in a deep, deep sleep." She said, laughing and resting her hand on his leg briefly, before turning back to the dishes in the sink.

"Told you." Jamie said, shrugging his shoulders and sticking out his tongue.

"I think you're lying." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You've always done it, Nathan. As long as I've known you, when you were high school you did it, in college, I'm sure you even did it when you were younger." Haley said simply, shrugging.

"I know I didn't snore in high school." Nathan said, frowning slightly.

"Yes you did." She laughed, shaking her head.

They had indeed shared a bed many times in high school. When Nathan couldn't take the noise of his parent screaming at each other, he'd climb through Haley's window and get in her bed with her. The first time they did it, it was a little awkward, staying on separate sides of the bed, but eventually they got into a groove of things. Even when he had a girlfriend, he would still come to her room in the middle of the night. Now that she thought about it, it seemed a little odd. But they'd always had a special relationship like that. The first time she noticed his snoring habits was when their group of friends went camping, and since they were surrounded by couples, it left the two of them sharing a tent. Lucas had told her some stupid story about how once him and Keith were camping in the woods, and this giant bear jumped out and they had to fight it off. Of course the story was complete bullshit, but the more Haley thought about it, the more her brain tricked her that there were shadows moving around outside their tent. So she kicked Nathan until he woke up, telling him to zip their sleeping bags together so he could protect her easier. And since she'd woken him up, he had grumbled in response and done as she asked, complaining the whole time about how he was having a nice dream. As soon as they were zipped together, she had cuddle up next to him, her head resting on his chest, and her arm draped around his stomach. He'd pulled her in close to him, closing his eyes and falling asleep once more. She was just about asleep when it started. At first it had been really, really annoying, and she was close to waking him up and telling him to shut the hell up, but eventually she got used to it, and focused on the sound of his heart beat instead, falling asleep easily to that.

Since then, she'd had to deal with it a lot. And though it could get frustrating, it meant that he was in his deepest sleep, and that he was peaceful. So it made her smile. And she'd never brought it up to him.

"You've never said anything." Nathan said, frowning slightly.

"I've never minded it." Haley said simply, shrugging.

Nathan got off the counter, helping Jamie down. "Okay, buddy. Why don't you take these plates and forks and go put them on the table, chop chop." He said, handing them to his son, watching him rush away.

He looked at Haley after a second, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Haley blinked in surprise, wrapping her arms around him as well, pressing her face into his shoulder.

He released her after a second, kissing her forehead and walking after Jamie.

xxxx

Nathan lifted Jamie above his shoulders, helping the little boy dunk the basketball, before he turned to Lucas and Skillz, a smirk on his face. "That's game. Come on, guys. You used to be better than this." He said, setting Jamie on the ground and giving him a high five. During breakfast, Nathan had brought up the idea of the three of them going to the Rivercourt, and Jamie had suggested inviting Lucas and Skillz along with them. Brooke decided to tag along, on the account that her mother was driving her crazy and she couldn't handle another second with that woman.

"You have the best player in the world, Nathan. It's not fair." Lucas said, shaking his head.

Nathan laughed, looking down at Jamie. "Victory lap?" He asked him, raising his eyebrows.

Jamie nodded quickly, taking off in a sprint around the blacktop, his father rushing after him.

"Hell no, Luke. We gotta get it together, man." Skillz complained, shaking his head and giving Lucas a soft shove. "I won't get beat by a five year old."

"It's not my fault! You're the one that doesn't know how to pass the ball." Lucas grumbled, shaking his head and sitting down next to Brooke.

"Poor Lucas, always losing to Nathan." Brooke teased him, laughing. "I can't believe you let your little brother beat you."

"He's in the NBA, Brooke!" Lucas defended himself, rolling his eyes.

Nathan laughed, smirking slightly and picking up the basketball off the ground, spinning it on his finger for a second. "No, man. Jamie is my secret weapon. Right Jamie?" He said, handing Jamie the basketball.

Jamie attempted to spin it on his finger like Nathan was doing previously, it falling to the ground and rolling away.

Haley smiled slightly, looking up at Nathan and letting out a deep breath, before turning her attention back to Jamie. "Good job, baby." She said, nodding at him. "To tell you the truth, I knew you would win."

Jamie grinned proudly, walking over to Lucas and puffing out his chest a bit. "I'm getting good, Uncle Lucas." He said, nodding at him.

"Yeah you are, Jame. It's a good thing too, the Ravens are going to need you." Lucas laughed, poking his shoulder softly.

Everyone's gaze turned to Skillz as his phone went off, watching him rush over to it and snatch it off the bleachers quickly.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat. "What's up, Skillz? Got a hot girl you're hiding from us?"

Skillz looked over at Nathan, letting out an almost nervous laugh. "Something like that." He said slowly, shrugging slightly. "I gotta go."

Jamie rushed over to Skillz, bumping their fists together. "Bye Uncle Skillz!"

"See you later, J-Luke." Skillz laughed, waving at everyone and heading to his car.

"That was a little weird." Lucas said slowly, watching their friend drive away.

"Yeah. Usually he loves to brag about his girls." Brooke laughed, looking at Nathan.

"Probably worried I'd steal her." Nathan said, smirking slightly. "No one can resist a Scott man, right Jamie?"

"Right!" Jamie responded, looking up at Nathan, matching his stance and putting a smirk on his own face.

"Oh no." Haley groaned, covering her face. "He's turning into a mini Nathan." She teased, looking up at Nathan.

"Well, I know I can't resist one Scott man." Brooke began, reaching over and grabbing Jamie's arm, pulling him into a right hug.

"Ouch." Nathan laughed, looking at Lucas. "Don't you mean two Scott men, Brooke?" He said, picking up the basketball, rushing over to the basket and dunking it, turning and looking at Brooke.

"You're right, Nathan." Brooke hummed, standing up and walking over to him. "I guess I've always wanted you."

Nathan blinked in surprise, raising his eyebrows and smirking over at Lucas. "Well, well, well. The truth comes out."

"Brooke, knock it off." Lucas laughed, rolling his eyes.

Brooke shoved Nathan back, shaking her head. "He couldn't handle it anyways." She hummed, walking over to Lucas and kissing his cheek.

Haley knew that they were just joking around. Nathan had gotten especially close to both Brooke and Peyton the past few years. But she felt a faint twinge of jealously run through her, that she absolutely did not want to be there. She didn't want to feel anything when it came to Nathan. She wanted to be friends with him for Jamie's sake. But it seemed like Nathan was forcing his way back into her life. She had caught herself staring at him many times, especially while they were playing basketball. And no matter how many times she would scold herself, her eyes always found their way back to him. What was he doing to her?

Brooke sat back down between Haley and Lucas, pulling Jamie into a hug again. "You're still my favorite, Jamie."

"Sorry Uncle Lucas." Jamie laughed, hugging Brooke before turning back to Nathan, rushing over and picking up the basketball.

Lucas stood up, walking back over to Nathan and Jamie. "Okay, Jamie. You and me against your dad."

"What? No! He's as good as MJ, you can't take him." Nathan groaned, shaking his head.

Jamie walked over to Nathan, grabbing his shirt and tugging him down. "We have to let Lucas win sometimes." He whispered into his ear, nodding over at Lucas.

Nathan laughed, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Fine, fine. Lucas can have Jamie. I can hold my own." He said, holding out his hands. "But I get the ball first since I'm clearly at the disadvantage."

Jamie rolled his eyes, handing it to Nathan and rushing over to Lucas.

Brooke laughed, shaking her head and turning to Haley. "You've got a cute kid, Hales."

"I know." Haley hummed in response, crossing her legs and looking over at Jamie briefly. "Cute parents make cute children."

"Well, well, well. Someone is full of it." Brooke teased her, smiling slightly. "I've missed you the past few days. Peyton is bitchier than you."

"Why, thank you." Haley said, rolling her eyes and glancing back at her son. "Nathan and I have just been keeping Jamie to ourselves."

"I don't blame you." Brooke said simply, shrugging. "How are you doing?"

"A little better." Haley said softly, watching Nathan "fall" to the ground when Jamie attempted to shoulder check him, smiling slightly as their son ran after the ball and passed it to Lucas.

"You guys look comfortable with each other." Brooke noted, looking over at her friend.

"We've been trying a little more." Haley said, shrugging slightly. "But it's nothing. Friends, maybe just acquaintance."

"It's none of my business." Brooke hummed in response, smiling at her. "You promise me you're doing alright, Hales?"

"I'm getting there, really. Jamie is okay, and I know that. But I still worry." Haley said simply.

"Maybe you'd be willing to go out tomorrow night." Brooke said, nudging her slightly.

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Haley trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't think I could leave Jamie for a whole night."

"Well, you leave him when he spends the night at Nathan's house, don't you?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes." Haley responded, crossing her arms and clearing her throat. "But tonight is Nathan's night. Tomorrow is my night."

"So you can go out tonight then?" Brooke asked her, smirking slightly.

"Brooke." Haley said, letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm just joking Tutor mom. You can come out whenever you're ready. Don't worry about it." Brooke said, smiling at her. "I'll just have to keep bringing Peyton out with me. Or Lucas."

Haley smiled, nodding. "Sorry. I'm just not ready to leave him yet. He's my baby." She said, looking over at Jamie again, clapping as he shot the ball up and into the hoop.

Brooke nodded in understanding, looking over at Lucas briefly, before her gaze shifted back to Haley. "How's Jesse?" She asked her, raising her eyebrows.

Haley cleared her throat, shifting slightly. "He's fine." She said softly, keeping her gaze locked on her son.

"Just fine?" Brooke asked, blinking.

"I don't know, Brooke. I told him I needed a little space to deal with all this." Haley said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley James!" Brooke scolded her, shaking her head. "You have this totally hot guy that is totally into you and you're playing him."

Haley glanced up when Nathan and Lucas looked in their direction, sighing softly. "Brooke, I'm not playing him. I told him I need to spend time with Jamie and he's been respectful. He texted me the other day and told me he was going to visit his mom, so it's not like he's around anyways." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"But Haley- he's so hot. And he likes you. And he's a good guy. You need one of those around." Brooke rambled on, rolling her eyes. "Plus, sleeping next to someone is a lot better than sleeping alone."

"I have Jamie. Right now, he's the only guy I need, Brooke. I'm only 24. I'll have time for dating once Jamie is a little older." Haley said simply, shrugging.

Brooke let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the bleacher behind her, shaking her head. "When that boy gets home, you're going to call him. Don't put your life on hold, Haley. Please."

Haley let out a deep breath, looking at her friend. "I'm not, Brooke. I like Jesse. I just wanted to focus on Jamie for awhile." She said softly, shrugging.

"Good. But please, Haley. Be careful. I'd hate to see you get hurt again." Brooke said softly, her gaze momentarily flicking to Nathan, before sitting up straight and looking back at Haley.

Haley let out a small sigh, rubbing her neck and looking over at Nathan. She smiled slightly at how he was purposely playing badly to make sure Jamie and Lucas won. He was a good dad. It warmed her heart every time she saw Nathan and Jamie interact, regardless of the way she felt towards Nathan at the time. Jamie absolutely adored Nathan, and she absolutely adored how much they loved each other. She wasn't developing feelings for Nathan. She couldn't be, and even if she was... She had to ignore them. She liked Jesse. And if she dated Nathan again, and it didn't work out... Jamie would be crushed.

Brooke nudged her softly, clearing her throat. "So, I'm doing a little thing in New York to introduce my new line. In about two weeks. I know that it's bad timing because the school year is about to start up again, but I'd really like it if you could come."

"New York? I don't know, Brooke..." Haley trailed off, shrugging slightly.

"Come on. It's for VIPs only. And you, Haley James, are a very important person. You can bring a date, or go solo. I want my best friend there." Brooke said, nodding at her.

"Let me get back to you, okay? August is a crazy time of year for me. I have to prepare for the upcoming school year." Haley said, shrugging slightly.

"Okay, okay." Brooke said, sighing softly. "I guess that's a good excuse." She said, smiling at Haley. She turned back to Lucas, cheering as he made a shot. "Woo-hoo! Go Lucas! Do shirts versus skins!"

"Oh lord." Haley grumbled, rolling her eyes and laughing.

Nathan turned to Brooke, a small smirk on his face. He pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it at her. "Your wish is my command, Brooke Davis."

Haley looked up at him as he picked up the ball, passing it to Lucas, before stepping up to guard him, matching his every step. She let out a deep breath, biting her lip as she admired his toned body. She'd seen pictures of him shirtless, and she'd seen his Rainstorm Body Spray commercials, but seeing the real thing was something special. It was a fairly hot day, but he had just made it much hotter. He had sweat dripping off his skin, and just about every single muscle he had was defined from spending hours upon hours of exercising. Admiring how attractive he was didn't mean anything, right? Anyone with eyes could see that he was hot. She would never disagree with that. But it had been a long time since she'd seen him without his shirt on in person. Every single part of him was attractive. She needed to stop staring before someone around her noticed, otherwise she was going to have a tough time explaining herself.

Haley tore her gaze away from Nathan, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a deep breath and focusing her attention back on Jamie.

Eventually, Nathan sat down next to Haley on the bleachers, hanging his head in defeat. "I lost to Lucas. Jamie is just too good."

Lucas laughed, lifting Jamie up onto his shoulders. "We did it, Jamie. We're way better than your dad."

Jamie laughed, looking down at Lucas. "We only won because of me. Dad is better than you, Uncle Lucas." He teased him, shaking his head.

"That's my boy!" Nathan laughed, smirking slightly.

"Well, at least Lucas looks hot doing it." Brooke defended her husband, nodding at him.

"Yeah, Nathan." Lucas said, sticking out his tongue. "Better luck next time, buddy."

"Yeah, yeah. Call me when you're considered one of the hottest guys in the NBA." Nathan grumbled, crossing his arms.

"If you're so hot, how come you've never been in B. Davis Magazine?" Lucas questioned him, shaking his head.

"He's got a solid point there, Nate." Brooke said, shrugging slightly.

"He's only been in it when you guys got married." Nathan said, shaking his head.

"I want to be in it." Jamie said, nodding at Brooke.

Brooke smiled at him, nodding her head. "Maybe when you're a little older, Jame. I think you could be a star."

"He's half Nathan, so he's bound to be a show off." Haley said, looking over at Nathan.

"Oh, yeah? Like you aren't a show off?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not." Haley laughed, shaking her head.

"When you're drunk you try to be." Nathan retaliated, smirking slightly.

Haley smacked his arm, leaving her hand rested on his bicep for a millisecond. "Whatever." She said, laughing quietly.

Lucas set Jamie down, handing him the basketball. "Let's see that dribbling technique." He said, moving to sit down next to Brooke. He watched Jamie for a second, before glancing down at his friends. "So how're things going with you two?"

Nathan and Haley glanced at each other, before looking down at Lucas.

"Fine." Nathan answered, shrugging. "We're just keeping Jamie close. But we're doing fine."

"That's good." Lucas said, looking over at his nephew. "He's a good kid, you know?"

"He's a great kid." Brooke corrected him, smiling at Jamie.

"We're lucky." Nathan said, putting his arm on the bleacher behind Haley, leaning back.

"We really are." Haley hummed, nodding out at her son as he dribbled around the court she'd spent so much of her life on, watching her friends play. It made her smile to watch Jamie run around on it, like a miniature version of Lucas Scott.

Brooke stood up after a second, looking down at Lucas. "Well, Luke. Let's get going. Watching you with Jamie makes me want a kid." She said bluntly, winking at him.

Lucas laughed, standing up and shaking his head. "You're one of a kind, Brooke Davis."

"Don't ever forget it." Brooke hummed, nodding at Haley. "Call me, Hales. I love you! Nathan, don't worry about calling me. But I guess you could text me if you wanted too." She joked, grabbing Lucas' hand and pulling him to her car.

Haley watched them go, shaking her head and laughing. "Too much information." She said, glancing over at Nathan.

"Much." Nathan responded, rolling his eyes and standing up. He pulled his shirt back on, heading back onto the court to play a quick game of HORSE with Jamie.

Following the game, Haley stood up and looked at Jamie, announcing it was time to go.

Jamie groaned, looking over at Nathan, who nodded.

"Time to go, buddy. We'll come out another time." Nathan said, ruffling his hair and letting out a deep breath, glancing at the time on his phone. He turned to Haley after a second, letting out a deep breath. "I think I'm going to run back."

"You're going to run all the way back to your house?" Haley questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

He chuckled, nodding. "It's not that far. I don't need to if you don't want me too." He said, shrugging slightly.

She shook her head, "No, no. You do whatever you want. I'll meet you there in a little while." She hummed, nodding at Jamie. "Let's get going, James. You need a bath before you go to Dad's house."

Jamie nodded up at her, looking at his father. "See you there!" He hummed, giving him a thumbs up and rushing over to the car.

Haley helped Jamie into his car seat, getting in the car and glancing at Nathan, before driving away.

Nathan let out a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair, heading in the direction of his home.

xxxx

Haley sat on the sideof Nathan's bed, looking at her sleeping son. She had a feeling he probably could have slept in his own bed tonight, but he was milking out sleeping in his father's bed as long as he could, since Haley would stay in the bed with them as long as he was in there. She shook her head, smiling slightly. He was sneaky. Every night she got into bed with Nathan, and knew it was a bad idea. They both knew they were crossing lines that should not be crossed. But they didn't care as long as they both knew Jamie was safe. If there was any chance of him being scared, they both wanted to be there.

Nathan walked into the room after getting ready for bed, smiling slightly and taking a seat on Jamie's other side, looking at the sleeping boy between them. "He's amazing." He said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"He's the best." Haley said softly, smiling over at Nathan. "I think he had fun today."

"I hope so. It's not very often I purposely lose in basketball." He said, winking at her.

"If that's what you want to call it." She said, laughing quietly.

"So what were you and Brooke talking about today? If you don't mind me asking. It looked a little intense." Nathan said softly, brushing his hand over Jamie's head.

"Oh, you know... Just stuff. We talked about her little thing she'd doing to introduce her new line." She said, shrugging slightly.

"Oh yeah? She's been talking to me about that too. For the past couple weeks." He said, nodding at her. "Are you going to go?"

"I don't know... I don't know if I'll ever be able to spend a night away from Jamie ever again." Haley said softly, smiling down at him.

"He seems to be okay now. He can probably go back into his own room soon." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "You should go."

"I told her I needed to think about it." She said, shrugging. "It's not like this will be the last one."

"But the school year starts soon, Hales. I can stay and watch him." Nathan said softly, looking down at his hands briefly, before forcing himself to say, "You could bring Jesse."

Haley let out a small sigh, shrugging slightly. "I don't know, Nathan. You deserve a night out too."

"I get plenty of nights out, Haley." He reminded her, smiling slightly. "But I'll look into finding someone to watch him, and maybe we both can go."

She looked over at him, her gaze meeting his. They didn't say anything for at least a minute. Lost in each other's gaze.

Nathan finally turned his eyes away, lifting up the blankets and climbing under them, letting out a deep breath. "If you get cold, you know where to find a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt." He mumbled, smiling slightly.

Haley smiled, getting under the blankets as well, kissing Jamie's head softly. After a moment of silence, she looked over at Nathan again. "So, one of the hottest players in the NBA, huh?" She asked him, laughing quietly.

Nathan rolled his eyes, shaking his head and chuckling. "Goodnight, Haley."


	9. Chapter 9

**This is mostly a filler chapter.**

 **Chapter 9**

Nathan woke up to a loud knocking on his front door, and his phone ringing beside his bed. He groaned slightly, feeling around the empty bed for a second, sighing when neither Haley nor Jamie were there. Jamie had returned to his bed a week days ago, and Haley slept in the guest room the first night, before deciding that she felt like she could go home.

He covered his head with his pillow for a second, but when the ringing stopped and started again, he grabbed his phone and answered it slowly. "Hello?" He grumbled.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Haley's voice asked from the other side of the phone, laughing quietly.

"Is everything okay, Haley? It's one in the morning." He grumbled, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"I'm at your door." She said simply, before hanging up the phone.

He blinked, getting out of bed quickly, picking up his t-shirt off the ground and pulling it over his head, walking down the stairs. He pulled open his front door, and sure enough, there she was standing.

"Hey." Haley said, letting out a deep breath and smiling at him.

He raised his eyebrows, looking at her. She must've just gotten back from her date with Jesse, because she was still wearing a dress, and heels that looked uncomfortable. She looked stunning, really. Why was she at his house though?

"Uh, what's up?" Nathan asked her quietly, stepping to the side and inviting her in, closing and locking the door behind her.

"I just got home, and I wanted to talk to you." Haley said simply, biting her lip.

"About what?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing in particular, honestly. Just wanted to talk." She hummed, holding up the bottle in her hands. "I brought wine."

He smiled at her, nodding slowly. "Alright." He said, resting his hand on her back from a moment.

"You pour, I'll be right back. I'm going to go check on Jamie." She said, sliding past him.

This was odd. Sure, they'd gotten a lot closer since Jamie's accident. A lot. It was almost like they were different people. But Haley had been on a date. She'd returned home, and instead of inviting a man she claimed to really like into her home, she sent him home and came here. But Nathan didn't care. At all. He missed her presence when she wasn't around. He wouldn't admit it out loud of course, because the more open he was with how he was starting to feel again, the harder everything was going to get.

He looked up when Haley came back down a few minutes later, smirking slightly at her. She had changed into some of his clothes, which he knew was becoming her usual nightly routine. He set a glass of wine in her hands, guiding her into the living room and sitting on the couch.

Haley sat down so she was facing him, smiling at him.

"So how was your date?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"It was fun." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "Jesse is a good guy."

"Yeah, he is." He said, his gaze meeting hers. "He's a great guy."

"Do you remember in high school, when you got me to cut school and go get drunk on the beach with you?" Haley changed the subject, smiling at him.

"I will never forget that, Haley James. You threw up on Dan." Nathan laughed, smirking and shrugging his shoulders. "The beach is our spot to get drunk, I guess."

Haley met his gaze again, nodding slowly. "I'd suggest we go down there right now, but we have a five year old upstairs." She said softly, biting her lip.

He looked down at the glass in his hand, letting out a deep breath and meeting her gaze again. "Luke gave me this big lecture about how I was being a bad influence on you after that."

"I didn't know that." She said, raising her eyebrows. "What did you say?"

"I told him that I didn't force you to come with me." He said, shrugging.

"He really didn't like you." She hummed, laughing quietly.

"I really didn't like him. I still don't." He said, smirking at her.

"Whatever, you love him." She said, pushing him softly.

"Eh, he's okay, I guess." He shook his head, rolling his eyes.

She looked at him, leaning her head against the couch a bit. "I was telling Jamie just a little bit about us." She said, smiling at him. "About the first day I tutored you."

"Ah, yes." He said, shaking his head. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

Haley felt her heart rate nearly skyrocket when he said that to her, biting her lip softly. Why was she feeling like this? She'd gone four years without him, forcing the want and the need out of her brain. But within two weeks, she was back to being exactly what she didn't want to be, putty in Nathan Scott's hands. She didn't want to be feeling this way, but all she wanted to do right now was grab his t-shirt, and kiss him for hours. This was so wrong. She'd just gotten off a date with a guy she told herself she really liked. But Nathan was sitting right in front of her, looking at her in some type of way that made her heart skip a beat. She was terrified. Terrified because she knew she shouldn't do anything about it, but she didn't know if she would be able to control herself. Nathan Scott had some type of hold on her, he always had. And he probably always would. She didn't care though. She liked being in his grasp. She liked feeling safe, and protected by him. Jamie was fine to sleep in his own room, but she wasn't sure if she was. Despite the fact that she'd gone back to sleeping in her own home, it didn't mean that she'd wanted to. She wanted to be near Jamie at all times still, but she'd never felt as safe as she did than when she was in Nathan's arms. After four years, he still had her feeling some type of way. She hated it.

Haley realized that she had been staring at him, blinking herself out of her thoughts. "I don't even know where that bracelet is."

He laughed, leaning back and turning to face her a little bit. "I took it." He said, shrugging slightly. "After we broke up."

"You took all your stuff while I was at my sister's house. I came home with Jamie and it was like you'd never been there." She said softly, meeting his eyes.

"I was pissed." Nathan said simply, shaking his head and sighing.

"I came home early because I thought maybe we could talk." She said, breaking his gaze and looking down. "But you were gone. And we didn't speak for a month. Any conversation we had was through Lucas."

"I didn't know that." He said, letting out a deep breath, leaning forward and pouring himself some more wine.

She nodded, tilting her glass over when he offered her more, biting down on her lip.

"I have the bracelet still. Somewhere." He said, looking down at the dark red liquid. "I threw your ring into the ocean."

She blinked at him, letting out a deep breath. This conversation was getting a little painful. "I always wondered what you did with it. I figured you sold it."

He shook his head, sighing softly. "No." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "Threw it in the ocean, got really drunk, and fell asleep in my car."

"Classy." She said, chuckling and looking at him.

"I shouldn't have proposed to you. You didn't want to get married. We were too young." Nathan said, shaking his head. "We hadn't been dating for that long."

"I wanted to marry you." Haley said, frowning at him. "I don't know where you got that idea."

He sighed softly, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath. "My dad told me you didn't want to marry me, and you were just sticking with me because of the baby, which I knew wasn't true, but there was a small part of me that was worried it was." He said softly, shrugging.

"That's funny, because your dad told me the same thing." She said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "We weren't your parents, Nathan."

"I watched my mom suffer every day, Haley. I watched her turn into this alcoholic junkie. That could've happened to us." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"You can't live your life being scared you'll turn into your father, Nathan. You're nothing like him." Haley said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "You're a great guy. You're kind, and considerate, and you always put Jamie first. I know that if Jamie didn't give a damn about basketball, you would be a little upset, but you wouldn't force it onto him. You don't have a vision set in stone for him, you're going to let him make his own decisions. And sure, I don't know what your dad is like now, but you're nothing like the guy that I knew." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. "We wouldn't have turned into your parents."

He looked at her, nodding slowly. She was beautiful. He felt like half of his life was spent thinking about how beautiful Haley looked. Of course, he couldn't tell her. Well, he could... But he shouldn't. She had a boyfriend. Sometimes he would lay awake at night and imagine what their lives would be like if they'd never split. For starters, he'd have Haley in his bed with him every night, and he wouldn't have to keep his thoughts to himself. Jamie would probably be happier. He would probably be happier. He wouldn't need to hold back the urges to grab her hand, or kiss her. Being away from her would be hard. But maybe every once and awhile she would surprise him at one of his away games, alone or with Jamie. They would have more kids. She'd talked about keeping their family small, with maybe two or three kids. He'd told her many times that he'd get as many kids out of her as he could. And he knew that once their kids were growing up, she'd feel a need for more. Maybe they would have another kid right now. God, he missed her. There had been other girls, but none as special as the girl next to him right now.

Nathan let out a shaky breath, blinking quickly. They'd zoned out on each other quite a bit during this conversation. "Do you want to help me?" He asked her quietly, clearing his throat and standing up.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. "What could you possibly need help with in the middle of the night?" She asked him, laughing quietly.

"I need help deciding what to wear to Brooke's thing this weekend. You're going, aren't you?" He asked her, helping her up to her feet.

"Yeah, she talked me into it." She said, shaking her head and laughing quietly.

"Are you bringing Jesse?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"No, he's going back to his parent's house. His mom is sick." She said softly, shrugging. "He'll be gone until the school year starts."

He nodded, grabbing the bottle, and motioning for her to follow him up the stairs.

xxxx

Drunk. They were both wasted. Haley helped Nathan pick out an outfit, and the longer they were together, the more they drank.

For awhile, Nathan was outside hitting golf balls across his yard, while Haley stood by the door, just in case Jamie woke up, laughing at him for no particular reason.

Now they were back inside, sitting next to each other on the couch again, telling each other stories about things that had happened to them.

"And apparently, the only reason she went on a date with me was because she was a Clippers fan and wanted to yell at me for kicking their asses." Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

Haley laughed loudly, before covering her mouth. "Shh, shh. Jamie is upstairs." She slurred out, grabbing his shirt. "I've been on a date with this guy, and he kept casually mentioning how much he loved the Hornets." She said, shaking her head and giggling. "At the end of the date he asked me if I knew anyone that played for them." She huffed out. "He was trying to get season passes out of me."

He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Jerk. I'll give anyone season passes if they wine and dine me, he should've taken me out." He said, laughing and picking up his bottle. He'd switched to drinking beer at this point, while Haley was still working on another bottle of red wine.

"I'm known as Nathan Scott's baby mama." She said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "I have basketball players in my room asking me about you all the time." She groaned, pushing him softly. "I'm like, ugh! Get away! His brother is your coach, ask him."

"I'm sorry." He grumbled, grabbing her hand that was pushing at him. "They're probably in there because you're beautiful and they have a crush on you." He said, before covering his mouth. "Oops."

Haley blushed at that, smiling at him. "There're worse things to be known as."

He looked at her, smirking. "You could be known as Lucas Scott's baby mama." He teased her, laughing.

"Lucas is my best friend! Don't be mean to him." She said, poking his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Nathan said, shaking his head. "I used to think you and Lucas had a thing."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Gross. Never." She said, laughing again.

He laughed, smirking at her.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Because you're beautiful but I'm not supposed to tell you that." He slurred out, shrugging.

Haley looked at him for a minute, grabbing his shirt and yanking him towards her, their faces close to each other. "Why would I spend my life drinking white wine when I could be drinking red wine?" She asked him.

Nathan blinked at her, glancing down at her lips. "What does that mean?" He whispered, resting his hand on her arm.

She sat for a moment, before pushing him away a bit. "I don't know. I'm drunk." She groaned out, shaking her head. "I need to go home."

He laughed, looking at her. "You can't drive." He said, leaning back against the couch.

"You're right! Dammit." She groaned out, looking around. "I'll sleep here. Will you help me up the stairs?"

"You'll have to help me too." He said, nodding at her.

She stood up, losing her balance a bit and falling back onto the couch. "I can't." She pouted, looking at him.

He laughed loudly, before Haley covered his mouth again.

"Jamie is asleep." She scolded him, shaking her head and scowling.

"Come here." Nathan said, grabbing her hand and laying back against the armrest of the couch, pulling Haley down with him.

Haley rested her head against his chest, snuggling up against him. "Mm. You smell nice." She said, before giggling. "Must be your Rainstorm Body Spray."

"I'll push you on the ground." He laughed, rolling his eyes and wrapping his arms around her.

"No, no!" She objected, grabbing onto him tightly.

He smiled at her, kissing the top of her head lightly, "Go to sleep, you dork."


	10. Chapter 10

**I hope you all like this one.**

 **Chapter 10**

Haley's eyes raked over Nathan's body as he got them a drink from the bar. She could see every muscle in his back through his shirt, and damn his back was sexy. When Jamie had woken them up a few days ago, it had been awkward to say the least. They both had killer hangovers, and couldn't remember much of what happened, but they knew their relationship was taking a turn in the wrong direction. They'd spent four years pushing it to the side, but Haley wasn't sure how much longer she could do that. Or how much longer she wanted to do that.

Nathan walked over, handing her the drink silently, letting out a deep breath. He moved to stand next to Lucas casually, glancing over at Haley. Out of all the models they'd seen tonight, she was the most beautiful person in the room. But apparently he needed to be drunk to be brave enough to tell her that. He let out a small sigh, looking up at Brooke, who rushed over to them.

"So? What did you guys think?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It was great, Brooke." Haley said, smiling at her.

"Everything you do is amazing, Brooke Davis." Lucas hummed, winking at her.

"I thought it was good." Jake agreed with them, shrugging slightly.

Peyton nodded her head, smiling at her friend. "You did awesome."

Brooke turned to Nathan, raising her eyebrows. "What about, Nate? Anyone catch your eye?"

"Uh, yep. Great job." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders and glancing over at Haley very briefly.

"Thank you." Brooke hummed, letting out a deep breath. "I feel so much relief now that it's over." She chuckled, nodding at them.

"It was great, Brooke. You were worried for nothing." Lucas assured her, nodding.

"You have to say that." Brooke reminded him, before letting out a deep breath. "Let's go get a drink, Lucas. Since Nathan only brought Haley one and didn't think to ask the rest of us." She said, turning to Nathan and sticking out her tongue, before grabbing Lucas' arm and rushing towards the bar.

Nathan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "In my defense, none of you told me what you wanted." He said, looking at Peyton and Jake.

"Neither did Haley." Jake said, looking at the two of them, raising his eyebrows.

Haley let out a deep breath, shaking her head. "Yes I did." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders. It was a lie, but she didn't want to bring any attention to Nathan and herself.

"Mhm." Peyton said, nodding at them. "Jake, go get me a drink. Surprise me." She hummed, nodding towards the bar.

Jake looked at Peyton, nodding slowly. "Don't stick your foot where it doesn't belong, Sawyer." He grumbled to her, before walking after Brooke and Lucas to the bar.

They could feel Peyton's eyes on them, observing how they were with each other. Nathan was standing awfully close to Haley, slightly behind her. Haley's shoulder was almost leaning back into Nathan's shoulder. They looked like a couple. It was none of her business, but she was going to intervene anyways.

"Nathan, a word." Peyton said, clearing her throat.

"Uh, I'm alright. Thanks though, Peyton. Wouldn't want to leave Haley all alone." Nathan responded, nodding at her.

Haley looked up at him, shaking her head. "I'll be fine, Nathan." She said, nodding at him and biting her lip. "I can take care of myself."

Nathan looked between the two girls, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Alright." He grumbled, letting Peyton drag him away.

"Look, Peyton- I don't want to talk about it." Nathan began, shaking his head.

Peyton looked over to where Haley was standing. "You like her." She said simply.

"I don't want to." He whispered, letting out a deep breath. "She has a boyfriend."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" She questioned him.

"No." He responded, sighing softly.

"Nathan..." Peyton trailed off, looking up at him.

"Save it, Peyton. I'm not going to do anything about it." Nathan grumbled, rolling his eyes. "There's too much to lose."

"I think you should go for it." Peyton said simply, shrugging.

"I know, Peyton. It would mess everything- What?" He asked her, blinking in surprise.

"Don't think about Jesse, don't think about Jamie. Think about yourself." Peyton said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe let a little of smug, every girl wants me, high school Nathan Scott out if you need to."

"I can't, Peyton. I just can't." He said simply, shaking his head.

Peyton looked up at him, before looking over at Haley. "I don't want to see Haley hurting, Nathan. So if you hurt her again, I'll beat your ass. But I don't want to see you suffering because if you don't do something soon, you could lose your chance. If she turns you away, that sucks. But don't wonder what if." She said simply.

Nathan followed her gaze over to Haley, nodding slowly. "It could get messy." He said softly.

"It could." She confirmed, shrugging slightly. "But eventually she's going to get over your stupid ass and realize how great Jesse is for her."

"He's not that great for her." He grumbled, shaking his head.

"Or maybe it will be another guy." Peyton responded, nodding in Haley's direction. A guy had appeared at her side and struck up a conversation with her. "But eventually, she's going to find someone. It's up to you to decide whether you want that someone to be you or not." She said simply, brushing off his shoulder. "I'm going to go find my husband." She said, before rushing away from him.

Nathan let out a deep breath. Peyton didn't make sense to him a lot of the time, she never had. But the message she was sending was clear. Could he risk it and put it all out on the line? Brooke would slap him upside the head and tell him to leave Haley alone. Lucas would tell him that he wanted him and Haley to both be happy. Jake would probably tell him the same as Peyton. He knew that his feelings for Haley were emerging, and he definitely knew he didn't like the guy that was talking to her right now. But... He did like Jesse. He thought Jesse was a good guy. He could cut off any friendship ties with him easily, though. Jamie was where it got the most complicated. If they started up their relationship, and things didn't work out... It would crush their small son. But if it did work out... They'd bring him a lot of joy. Was his the possibility of his sorrow equal to the possibility of bringing him some joy? Nathan had no clue. He could feel his heart rate speed up at the thought of telling Haley how he felt. They were becoming friends again. Coming closer to the bond they had in high school. But he'd hid his feelings for her then, and it took them years to tell each other how they felt. If he waited years... She could be married. He felt sorrow from just the thought of her being married to another man. He didn't want that.

Nathan let out a deep breath. He was going to tell her. Tonight. Eventually... Maybe. Hopefully. He just needed to find the perfect time and the right words and he'd be set. Opening up and being vulnerable wasn't his thing, but he'd give it his best shot. For Haley.

He headed back over to her, pausing behind her and clearing his throat.

The dude healthy was talking to met his eyes, blinking quickly. "Your boyfriend is Nathan Scott?" He said slowly.

Haley raised her eyebrows, glancing up at Nathan. "Um..." She trailed off, thinking for a second, before nodding. "Yep." She said, shrugging slightly.

Nathan looked down at her, resting his hand on the small of her back. "I've been looking for you." He responded, nodding at her. He met the guy's eyes again, "It's nice to meet you." He said, smirking slightly.

"I am so sorry, I was just hitting on your girl." The guy grumbled, shaking his head. "I'm a huge fan."

"It's alright." Nathan chuckled, pulling Haley into his side.

"Dude, this is so awkward but can I get a picture with you?" He asked quickly, nodding at him.

"Yeah. Sure." Nathan chuckled, looking down at Haley. "Hales, do you mind...?" He trailed off.

"No, not at all." Haley said, taking the guys phone, taking a quick picture of them.

"I'm sorry for bothering you guys." He said, nodding at them. "Have a great night." He said quickly, disappearing.

Nathan turned and looked at her. "Are you okay?" He asked her quietly.

She nodded at him, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, I'm fine. He's harmless." She said softly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright." Nathan replied, shrugging his shoulders and looking at her. "So boyfriend, hm?"

"Shut up, I don't need some college kid hitting on me. I'm a mother." Haley laughed, shaking her head and shoving him softly.

"Is a rule that you're not allowed to hit on people once they become moms?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"We all got together and decided that if they look like they haven't hit puberty yet, and approach you by asking for your number because they forgot theirs, then it's a no go." She said, smiling up at him.

"Damn. Guess I need to cross a few women off my list." He said, shaking his head. "It takes bravery to talk to a girl as stunning as you, and you turned him away."

"What can I say? I'm mean." She said simply, shaking her head. "He told me that his sister is one of the models though, so do with that what you will."

"Babe, you're all I want." He said, shaking his head and winking at her.

Haley felt her cheeks flush at that. He was just joking, she knew that. But she didn't want him to be. It was terrible of her to want him so bad, when she had a boyfriend. And she continued to tell herself that, but she continued to care less and less.

"Funny." She grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"So tell me more of these 'Mom' rules that you and all the other moms is the world have decided upon." He said, laughing quietly.

"Make fun of me all you want, Scott. Don't forget, I'm your kid's mom." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Trust me, I would never forget." He said, smirking at her.

She looked up at him, letting out a shaky breath. The look in his eyes made her insides melt. That damn smirk on his face made her heart speed up. Stupid Nathan Scott and his stupid handsomeness.

"Well, there's the rule of never letting your children leave the table until they eat their vegetables." Haley said softly.

"Funny, I didn't realize you were my mother. In college you wouldn't let me leave the table until I ate my vegetables." He responded, laughing.

"Oh shut up. That's not true and you know it." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry for interrupting, continue." He said, crossing his arms and nodding at her.

"Well, I have to endlessly torture him with piano lessons." She said, laughing. "He's not a big fan of that one."

"If he wants to be as talented as his mother, he better keep working at it." Nathan said, nodding at her.

Haley smiled at him, nodding slowly. "That's what I keep telling him." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. She watched as Nathan took a subtle step closer to her, glancing around.

"It's funny, you know." He said softly. "This whole thing." He mumbled, gesturing around the room.

"What's funny?" She questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

He hesitated for a second, swallowing nervously. "All these models, but the most beautiful girl in the room wasn't one of them." He said in almost a whisper, winking at her. Maybe he was braver than he thought, and he didn't need to be drunk.

Haley closed her eyes, biting down on her bottom lip. She forced herself to look up at him, "Oh?" She said softly.

Nathan looked down at her, studying her features for a moment, before meeting her eyes. "And when I say that, I mean Brooke Davis, of course." He said, smirking slightly.

She laughed softly, nodding her head. "I'd have to agree with you on that one." She said, smiling at him. Of course, she knew he wasn't talking about Brooke. He had made it perfectly clear that he was talking about herself. But he was making the situation a little more light. Did they really need to get into feelings? She was honestly enjoying Nathan's presence and friendship again. She'd forgotten over the years just how much she liked spending time with him one on one. He was genuine with her. After their break up, they'd lost that bond. But she could feel it rebuilding.

"So, let me ask you something." Nathan said, looking at her once again. "What pick up lines are you supposed to use on moms?"

"Assuming just being Nathan Scott doesn't impress people enough, you need to use pick up lines? You must be off your game, Scott. In high school, you always had someone interested in you." She hummed, shrugging slightly. "It depends on the age."

"Say... Twenty-four?" He said, looking at her and smirking. "Hypothetically, if I was going to hit on a twenty-four year old mother, of course."

Haley kinked one eyebrow, laughing quietly. "Alright, if you were hypothetically going to hit on a twenty-four year old mom, I would guess anything from 'Are you an interior decorator? Because when I saw you, the entire room became beautiful.' to 'Even if there was no gravity on earth, I'd still fall for you.' Or, if they happen to have a five year old son, striking a conversation about Mickey Mouse works just as fine." She said, shrugging slightly.

"This is good stuff. I should be writing it down." He said, chuckling and looking down at her.

Haley looked back at him, biting down onto her lip nervously. His gaze was intense. Almost like he was having the same inner argument with himself that she was constantly having with herself when she was around him. Fighting the urge not to grab the other and kiss them right now.

Nathan cleared his throat, "Well, Haley James. Are you an-" He was cut off when he felt two arms wrap around him from behind, playing tugging open the buttons on his shirt, and someone's tongue licking up the back of his neck. What the hell was going on? Who would do that to him? He could name off a list of names in his head, actually, but none that Brooke would have let into this thing. He made eye contact with Haley for a brief second, before whipping around quickly.

"Surprise." The high pitched, voice of his high school ex girlfriend rang out.

"Rachel." Nathan responded, in disbelief. "I thought I saw you up on that stage!" He said, smiling slightly. "I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me. Your hair is darker."

"Well? Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to give me a hug?" Rachel asked him, raising her eyebrows.

He wrapped his arms around her quickly, pulling her into a tight hug.

Haley watched the scene play out, rolling her eyes slightly. She remembered Rachel. She was a bitch and a slut in high school, but for some reason, Nathan had really liked her. For the brief time they dated, Nathan sort of became a jerk again. Not the same guy he was before, but he would blow off their study sessions, or forget he was supposed to go play basketball with Lucas. He'd always apologize and promise he'd make it to the next one, and sometimes he would follow through, and sometimes he wouldn't. Rachel moved here their senior year, and it didn't take her long to get expelled and move away. She'd gotten caught with some cocaine, of course. Nathan had been upset, but not enough to keep a long distance relationship alive. Rachel had not been the biggest fan of her. She thought that Haley spent too much one on one time with her boyfriend. If only she'd known how many times Nathan would sneak into her room at night, even after being with Rachel, and climb into her bed next to her. Here she was again. As far as she knew, this was the first time Nathan had seen Rachel since high school. But the way her fingernails were scratching over his back made Haley extremely uncomfortable. They'd been hugging for awhile. She couldn't help but sigh at the thought of Nathan and Rachel possibly reconnecting. Brooke had somehow become friends with Rachel and never told anyone, she guessed. If Brooke could get over everything Rachel had done, then Nathan definitely could. She felt her heart drop slightly at that, fiddling with her fingers. She was fairly certain that Nathan was about to use one of the pick up lines that he was not so discreetly questioning her about. Who was she to judge, though? People change after high school, and maybe Rachel was different now. Haley had not recognized her with her darker hair. Maybe she was a good fit for Nathan now.

Nathan turned around after another minute, keeping one arm around Rachel. "Rachel, you remember Haley. Hales, Rachel." He said, smiling over at Haley.

"Haley! It's great to see you." Rachel said, walking over and pulling her into a hug. "You look great!"

"Um, thanks Rachel." Haley responded, nodding at her. "You looked beautiful up there tonight. You really do Brooke Davis justice." She said politely, watching Rachel hurry back to Nathan's side. She couldn't help but feel like this was a bit of an act.

"I'd say it it's the other way around." Rachel hummed, watching Nathan button up his shirt again. "So, I heard that you two have a kid together. That's so great! I didn't even know you got married."

Nathan looked over at Haley quickly, before looking back at Rachel. "We didn't... We're not, um..." He stuttered out.

"We're not married." Haley finished, shaking her head slowly.

"Really?" Rachel asked curiously, looking over at Haley. "How have you been, Haley?"

"I've been doing well, Rachel. I'm a teacher at Tree Hill now. We have a great son. Everything is going great." Haley responded, nodding at her. "What about you?"

Rachel laughed, laying her hand on Nathan's chest. "As you can tell, I'm great. I'm a model now, thanks to Brooke. And I love it." She said, resting her head on Nathan's shoulder for a brief second.

Nathan looked uncomfortable, which gave Haley some hope. His arm was still draped around her shoulders though, and he was letting her hands roam all over his torso as she pleased. She looked up when she realized that Rachel was still talking, nodding slowly in response. She had no clue what was just said to her, but she didn't really feel the need to have Rachel repeat it.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Rachel asked Haley bluntly, raising her eyebrows.

Haley plastered a tight smile into her face, nodding her head slowly. "Yeah, I am."

Nathan let out a small sigh. She was seeing someone. Someone that wasn't him.

Rachel looked up at Nathan, "What about you?" She asked, her hands moving to the open skin on his chest.

"Not currently." Nathan said slowly, shrugging slightly.

Haley has mostly figured this out, but it was like a breath of fresh air that Nathan wasn't seeing Carrie any longer. But of course, here Rachel was. She'd probably seize the opportunity to be with big time basketball star Nathan Scott. Anything to boost her fame. Her thoughts were a little unfair, because maybe Rachel was being genuine, but she suspected otherwise.

"Hm." Rachel said, undoing one of the buttons Nathan had just done up. "Why don't you we go dance then?"

Nathan looked over at Haley, letting out a shaky breath. He really didn't want to leave her. He could sit and talk to her for hours, but as she had just reminded him, she had a boyfriend. And his confidence from before was disappearing at that. The pep talk Peyton had given him was almost a distant memory, even though it had not been that long since she'd talked to him. She terrified him. He had worked up all this nerve and was going to continue trying to sweep her off her feet, but within seconds, he was back to fighting himself.

"Go." Haley said simply, biting her lip. "I'll be fine. I'll find someone else to talk to." She said softly, nodding at him.

He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a second. That hurt a little bit, that she was trying to push him towards Rachel. He nodded slowly, sending her a small smile, and letting Rachel pull him away.

xxxx

The two of the didn't speak for the rest of the night. Nathan always had Rachel hanging around him, and Haley just hung out with Lucas while Brooke was busy.

Since they were in the same hotel, they shared a car ride back though. It was quiet the whole ride, until the driver pulled off to the side of the road before they reached your hotel.

"This is your stop." He said curtly, nodding out the window.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat. "No, it's not." He said, shaking his head.

"I was given specific instructions to drop you off two blocks before your hotel." He responded, shrugging.

"It's pouring rain out there." Nathan said, scowling slightly.

"Sir, I just do what I'm paid to do."

"I'll pay you to take us all the way there." Nathan replied, shaking his head.

"It's fine, Nathan." Haley said softly, sighing. "We can walk." She shrugged, pushing open the car door and getting out.

Nathan blinked at her, glaring at the driver and following her out quickly, slamming the door shut. "What a jerk." He grumbled, shaking his head.

Haley nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh, beginning to walk in the direction of their hotel.

Nathan matched her pace, letting out a deep breath. They walked quietly for about a minute, before Haley turned to him.

"How was Rachel?" She asked him softly.

"She was doing fine. I don't know why I ever dated her, though." He said softly.

"Yeah, I've asked myself that question about a lot of the girls you've dated." She said softly, shaking her head.

"Well, you kind of forced me to her tonight." He replied, crossing his arms.

"You looked at me like you needed permission, Nathan. You seemed fine with her hanging all over you, so I figured you wanted to go off with her. And I was right, you spent the whole night with her." Haley said simply.

"I wanted to spend the night with you." He argued, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well we could be spending every night together if you hadn't kissed Carrie four years ago, hm?" She snapped to him, letting out a deep breath. This was why they couldn't work. Haley still held onto the anger she felt seeing Nathan and Carrie together. It didn't have much to do with Rachel, or any other girl. But the memory of Nathan kissing another girl while they were engaged crushed her. She didn't want to feel that pain again. She worried that if they got close again, he would run off with Rachel, or some other girl that he decided he liked better.

Nathan stopped, grabbing her arm and looking at her. "What the hell did you just say?" He asked her, scowling.

Haley looked up at him, before looking away when the rain started dropping into her eyes. "You heard me." She said softly.

"Say it again, Haley." He demanded, shaking his head.

"I saw you, Nathan. Four years ago. I saw you kissing her." She said simply, letting out a deep breath. "It doesn't matter anymore, I shouldn't have said anything."

"You think I kissed Carrie?" He asked her, frowning down at her.

"You liked her. You let her flirt with you, you let her put her hands all over you, Nathan. I don't think you kissed Carrie, I know you did." Haley said, shaking her head and beginning to walk again.

Nathan grabbed her arm, running his hands through his wet hair. "Haley, we broke up over that?"

"It was a number of things, Nathan. But I couldn't take it after that. I gave you three days to come clean." She said, pushing him softly. "Every time I looked at you, my heart just broke because you weren't the man I loved. You kissed her, and you never came clean about it or anything! I had no clue if it was an on going affair or anything like that."

"Carrie kissed me." He corrected her.

"Does it matter?" She asked him, scowling. "God, Nathan. I knew this was a bad idea. Why should we even talk about this? It isn't going to make a difference."

"Why have we never talked about this, Haley? That's the real question." He asked her, shaking his head. "Do you realize that our whole lives could be different if you would've talked to me?" He snapped, rolling his eyes.

"Maybe you should've talked to me, Nathan! If you would've come clean then maybe we wouldn't be like this."

"Did you see me push her away, Haley? Tell her that I loved you too much to ever let anything happen?" He asked her, shaking his head.

Haley fell silent, looking up at him. She thought back to the memory that she tried so hard not to think about. It was almost as if New York City fell silent for a moment, the only noises she could hear were Nathan's heavy breathing, and the rain pouring down around them, soaking them both. She had not seen him push her away. But the moment their lips touched, Haley couldn't stand to watch anymore, and she left for a few hours. Once she'd returned, Nathan had already been asleep, Jamie as well. Those next days were miserable for her. Her heart ached constantly. To find out it all could've been different... It brought back the aching again.

"You didn't see that." He said, shaking his head. "You assumed the worst out of me, Haley. Just like tonight you assumed that I wanted Rachel draped all over me, and I wanted to dance with her. You were wrong then, and you're wrong now." He said, shrugging slightly. "You're the only person I want." He informed her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him quietly, turning to look at him.

"Carrie was quitting anyways, and I thought that maybe I could forget it and we could go back to being us." He said simply, looking at her and letting out a deep breath.

Within seconds, Haley was pressed up against him, shivering slightly. She rested her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his wet skin. "Nathan." She said softly, pulling his face down and kissing his cheek softly.

Nathan closed his eyes, resting his hands on her hips carefully, pulling her closer to him. He couldn't believe how much hurt he could've saved her if he would've told her what happened. Or how much hurt he could've saved himself. Carrie had always been a negative influence on their relationship, and the fact that he'd brought her into his life again was an idiotic move. One that he would spend the rest of his life hoping Haley would forgive him for. The fact that she was worried he would ever cheat on her brought so much sorrow to him. He shook his head, looking down into her eyes. They were full of regret, but also full of want, and maybe a little of need. Peyton's words popped into his head. Forget about Jesse, for get about Jamie. Think about Haley.

With that, Nathan pulled her flush against him, letting his arms wrap around her, closing the distance between their mouths and capturing her lips in a heated kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

**This was a pretty quick update for me. The words were flowing. I'm sorry in advance. I have a plan, don't worry.**

 **Chapter 11**

Nathan had Haley backed up against his hotel room door as soon as they'd entered. Her leg hooked around his waist, her hands working furiously at the buttons on his shirt. His head was spinning slightly. He was kissing Haley. It wasn't one of the dreams that wouldn't stop appearing. It was real. Her lips were on his, and her hands, they were in the process of ridding him of his soaked shirt, and roaming around his skin.

Haley groaned against his mouth, digging her fingernails into his chest softly, tugging him closer to her, kicking off her shoes quickly. She wanted him so badly right now. She wanted to feel that connection with him. Damn, he was a good kisser. It had been too long. And the way his hand was pushing her dress further up her leg, rubbing her chilled skin to warm it up... It was too good to be true. She hooked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, tangling her fingers in the hair on the back of his head. Haley tilted her head back as he lifted her up higher, kissing down her neck and along her collarbone. "Nathan." She whispered, nudging his face slowly, grabbing his chin and kissing him once again.

Nathan slid his hands around her back, finding the zipper on her dress, waiting for a moment until he felt her nod in approval. He began to unzip her dress at an agonizingly slow pace, smirking slightly when she pushed on his arms softly to hurry him up. It didn't take long for her dress for fall to the ground at her feet. He looked down at her, letting out a deep breath, his eyes grazing over her newly exposed skin. "You're beautiful." He whispered, resting his hands on her waist and pulling her into another kiss.

Haley smiled slightly, pushing his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms until it joined her dress on the ground as well. She slid her hands down his chest slowly, taking a moment to admire the way his muscles felt under her hands. It had been so long, but she still felt like she knew every inch of him so well. Her hands instinctively knew where the jagged scar was on his ribcage after the car accident he'd been after basketball season ended their junior year. Her thumb brushed over it lightly for a moment, before moving further south, beginning to undo his belt buckle.

As soon as his pants and shoes were gone, he lifted Haley up, walking over to the bed and setting her down on it gently, taking another moment to admire her. She was so much better than a model. He hovered over her, kissing down her neck slightly, his hands rested on either side of her, supporting himself up.

Haley slid her arms around his waist, pulling him towards a bit so more of his weight dropped down on her, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. She felt her eyes flutter when Nathan started to kiss down the length of her body, letting out a deep breath. No guy could ever make her feel the way Nathan Scott had. With that thought, her brain suddenly became more alert. Holy shit. Jesse.

Nathan felt her freeze, looking up at her quickly, lifting his head. Dammit. He knew just by the look in her eye what was going through her head. He crawled up the bed slowly, kissing her once more, before falling down next to her, his breathing ragged.

Finally she spoke, tears welled in her eyes. "I have a boyfriend." She said sadly, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah." Nathan replied, closing his eyes for a brief moment, sitting up slowly.

"I can't do this to him, Nathan. I don't want to- I mean, I clearly want to." She said, gesturing between the two of them. "But I can't." She said softly, shifting onto her side, looking over at him.

He nodded slowly, resting his hand on her waist, brushing his thumb over her skin, staying silent.

"I don't want to be that girl." She whispered to him, grabbing his hand and holding it to her lips.

He looked at her, letting out a deep breath. "I know." He said quietly, shaking his head.

Haley closed her eyes for a second, biting down on her bottom lip. This was hard. Hard for her, and she could tell it was hard for Nathan to hear. But they couldn't do this. Not like this anyways. Jesse would've been with her, if his mother had not been sick. She couldn't live with the guilt of doing this behind his back, while he was at home with his sick mother.

"And there's Jamie to think about." Nathan attempted to make himself feel better, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath.

She rested her hand on the side of his face, looking at him and sighing softly. "I wish things were different." She said, brushing her fingers through his drying hair.

"But they're not." He finished, closing his eyes. "You have a boyfriend. And I could kiss and hold you all night. But you're still going to go home to a boyfriend."

"I care about you so much, Nathan." Haley said softly, kissing his forehead.

"I'm a risk." He said to her, shrugging. "I hurt you, you hurt me. It's just one endless cycle of heartache."

"A risk that I don't know if I can take again, Nate. We have Jamie to think about." She said, standing up slowly. She found her dress off the ground, slowly slipping it back on.

Nathan appeared behind her in seconds, zipping up her dress quickly. "Jamie would be thrilled, Haley." He whispered, wrapping his arms around her, pressing his face into her neck.

"Until we break up." She said, leaning back against him.

"What if we don't break up?" He asked, holding onto her tightly.

"What if we do?" She responded, gripping his forearms softly.

"But what if we don't?"

"But what if we do, Nathan? We could sit here and ask each other these questions all night, but it doesn't matter. Because I'd rather feel the pain than let Jamie feel it." She said, shaking her head.

Nathan stayed silent, dropping a light kiss onto the crook of her neck. "I don't want you to go." He said quietly.

Haley closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "I can't stay." She responded, turning around, grabbing his hands.

He let out a deep breath, nodding slowly. "I think it's amazing, that you aren't willing to do this to Jesse."

"I sort of already did." She said, letting out a deep breath. She cupped his cheeks softly, grabbing his face and pulling him down into a light kiss. "I'm sorry, Nathan."

"Me too." He said, nodding at her.

Haley looked up at him, biting her lip softly. "I don't regret it, though." She said to him. "I'm just sorry things couldn't be different."

He smiled slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm kind of tired." He said quietly, shrugging his shoulders.

She looked up at him, sighing softly. She didn't want to go. She wanted more than anything to push her thoughts out of her head, and just be with the man in front of her. But her practical side was screaming at her that they'd hurt each other badly, and that she didn't know if they'd last, and that would crush Jamie. Her practical side was telling her that Jesse was amazing, and that she liked him. Unfortunately, that side usually got the best of her. Nathan looked amazing standing in front of her. He was one of a kind. Even with the achey look in his eyes, he was still gorgeous. She wanted to give into her desires, but she couldn't. Fear of being hurt was holding her back, but most importantly fear of her son being hurt.

Haley nodded at him slowly, letting out a deep breath. "I better get out of these wet clothes anyways." She said to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Nathan said, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead.

She was thankful he didn't try to convince her to say, because she might have. Maybe he understood to some extent where she was coming from. She had to put Jamie first. He had to put Jamie first.

Nathan watched her go, closing the door and leaning back against it. He pulled some sweats out of his suitcase, heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Not long after, he was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He understood, about Jamie. He really did. That had been one of his fears. Hell, he even understood about wanting to wait until she ended her relationship with Jesse. But from their conversation... It didn't seem like she was going to do that. He could tell, though. How much she wanted him. He could tell the whole entire time that she was having an inner battle. She would come around. He understood, sure. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. He was going to fight for her, unlike he'd done in high school, and unlike he'd done when they broke up. But this time, he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

**Something that happens in this story is basically where the whole idea of the story came from. It's very cheesy.**

 **Chapter 12**

Haley had not seen Nathan for two weeks. Someone else would always pick up Jamie to take him to Nathan's house, he dodged her phone calls, but at least he would reply to her texts. It was a little upsetting, but she understood that maybe he needed a little space and time to clear his head.

When he showed up at her doorstep, wielding two cups of coffee in his hands, she was surprised. Jamie had rushed past her, while Nathan slid into the house, forcing one cup into her hands. She smiled slightly, biting down on her bottom lip, and following him in.

They had not talked about anything too deep. Just about her upcoming school year, and about how Jamie was starting kindergarten. But the whole entire time Nathan was gazing at her like this was the most important conversation in the world to him. Like he was hanging on to every word she said. Even when she began to spout off about one of the lessons she was going to teach, he listened to her. Until she got a phone call from Jesse. Then his intense eyes stopped focusing on her, and he wouldn't respond well to the conversation, only nod or shake his head. But he still stayed.

Jamie was with a sitter again tonight, since Brooke insisted on going out to Tric one more time before Haley started the school year again, and instantly became more busy. Haley had tried to get out of it, curling up on the couch and watching a movie with Jamie sounded a lot better than being in a club surrounded by a ton of people, but Nathan talked her- and Jesse into going, which seemed a little odd.

Haley watched from their table as Brooke, Jesse, and Nathan all sat near the bar, talking. Nathan looked lively, and into the conversation. Every once and awhile he would laugh at something someone said, or she could tell when he was making a stupid joke of his own that he thought was hilarious, but everyone else only thought was a little funny. He looked great tonight, his hair was freshly cut, and his face clean shaven. He'd been talking to Jesse a lot of the night, something that worried her slightly. Anytime she approached Jesse when Nathan wasn't around, and nosily asked what they were talking about, Jesse would say that it was nothing, really. It drove her crazy.

She looked over when Lucas sat down across from her, setting a glass of water in front of her.

"Hey Miss 'I'm not drinking tonight.' How's it going?" Lucas asked her, a small smile on his face.

"Honestly... I miss Jamie." Haley said, sighing softly and resting her elbow on the table, leaning her chin into her palm.

Lucas chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "You baby that kid too much, Hales."

"I do not! But he's my baby, Lucas." She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Are you excited for the school year?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"To an extent. I'm not excited that Jamie is starting kindergarten at all, though." She responded, shaking her head and sighing.

"He'll do great. I'm hoping that maybe the Ravens won't suck ass this year." Lucas chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"There's always hope that some kid will join the team his junior year and become a super star." Haley said, smiling at him.

"Nathan was always the star." Lucas said, shaking his head.

"I thought you were great." She said, laughing. "Except for when you continued to play with HCM and told me not to tell anyone. Then I was pissed. I'm still mad." She joked, rolling her eyes.

"I know, it was uncool of me." He said, shaking his head and glancing over in Nathan's direction. "How's he doing?"

"You should know better than me, Luke. You're his brother." She said softly, following his gaze.

"I just worry about him, y'know? Don't tell him I told you that, though." Lucas laughed, winking at her.

"He seems fine to me." She said, shrugging slightly.

"I worry about you too, Haley." He reminded her, reaching over and grabbing her hand.

"I'm fine, Luke." Haley said, shaking her head.

"You just seem off." He said to her, shrugging slightly. He looked in Nathan's direction, before glancing back at her. "You know, if you're looking for reasons not to be with someone, you're always going to find them." He said quietly, standing up slowly. "Think about that." He hummed, before walking away.

A short while later, Haley stood next to Brooke, talking to her quietly, watching Nathan across the room.

Brooke looked over at her, "Haley James, are you listening to me?" She asked, laughing quietly.

"Yes, Brooke. You're talking about the new fall line you're going to release and how amazing it's going to be. I don't doubt it for a second." Haley said, smiling at her.

"Thank you." Brooke hummed, looking over at her. "I'm glad you came tonight, Hales."

Haley nodded at her, kinking one eyebrow as she made eye contact with Nathan, who had just handed the DJ something, followed by some money. He sent her a smirk in response, winking at her, before heading in her direction. That was odd.

Nathan couldn't believe what he was about to do. Really, it was probably one of the dumbest, most embarrassing things he'd ever done in his life. He really had to talk himself into it the whole night. When the thought crossed his mind- well, really when Peyton brought up the idea as more of a joke, he couldn't get it out of his head. He should stop using Peyton as his therapist, that's for sure. But he'd already handed the song to the DJ, and paid him to play it next. It was too late to turn back. When he'd made eye contact with Haley, his fear and embarrassment diminished a little bit, but it was still there. His instincts still told him that this was a bad idea. He definitely agreed with his instincts on that one. If he searched for Peyton, he would probably see her shocked face. But he wasn't going to remove his eyes from the beautiful woman that had captivated all of his thoughts and dreams. He had to be bold. Show her that he needed her, and that he would be willing to do anything- even something that made him this uncomfortable, to prove it.

Brooke looked over at her, following her gaze and blinking as a familiar song started playing through out the club. "Oh. My. God." She said quietly, shaking her head. "He wouldn't."

Haley listened for a moment, a look of realization appearing on her face.

Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield was playing throughout all of Tric. This was unexpected and definitely something different.

Brooke grabbed her arm, "What the hell is this? An episode of Glee?" She asked, shaking her head.

Haley watched as Nathan approached her, still smirking at her. He looked confident, like this was going to woo her off her feet. What in the hell was going on?

"Come on, Hales. You've left me no choice." Nathan said, grabbing her hand. "Dance with me."

"Nathan..." Haley trailed off, unable to tear her gaze from his.

"Haley." He said, pulling her close to him. "Please."

She bit down on her lip, letting out a deep breath. Was this actually happened? Never in a million years would she have ever expected any guy to do something like this to her, let alone Nathan Scott. He hated dancing, and people watching him dance. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure that this was actually happening to her. What was she supposed to do in this situation? She could turn him down She was snapped back into reality by Brooke's elbow in her side.

Haley nodded slowly, probably against her better judgement. She wasn't entirely sure where Jesse was at the moment, but he could appear at any given second. But the way Nathan's hand felt in hers, the way his eyes were practically reading her mind, she just couldn't say no.

Nathan smirked slightly, nodding at Brooke and pulling Haley away. "Thanks." He said, smirking down at her.

She shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip, her hands rested on his chest. "What the hell are you up to, Nathan?"

"What? I didn't pick the song. Awfully fitting though, isn't it?" He asked her, looking down at her.

"Nathan." Haley said softly, gripping his shirt collar. "We talked about this."

"You talked, Haley." He corrected her, pulling her against him.

"This is very out of character." She informed him, biting down on her lip nervously.

"Maybe you make me do things that are out of character." He said softly.

"What do you think that is going to do?" She asked him, shaking her head.

"Send a message." He responded, shrugging.

"To who? Jesse?" She questioned, poking his chest softly.

"To you. To everyone." Nathan said, rubbing his hands up her sides lightly. "That I wish that I had Jesse's girl."

Haley blushed slightly, avoiding his eye contact and letting out a deep breath. "I'm shocked." She finally said.

"Are you?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"That you'd be willing to do this. You hate dancing." She said softly.

"The world is different when you're holding someone you care about." He replied, resting his forehead on hers for a brief. "I could hold you forever."

Haley let out a deep breath, closing her eyes and shaking her head. This was proving to be very difficult. She didn't want to keep herself from him, so why did her brain fight back so hard?

"To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed right now." He admitted after she'd stayed silent for a moment.

Haley smiled slightly. The fact that he was doing this for her made her nervous too. But for a different reason. She was nervous about the way she was feeling, the way that her heart raced. At the beginning of their relationship, Jesse had been able to do that to her to some extent, but never the way Nathan could.

"I'm trying not to think about how everyone is going to watch me step on your toes." He said, smirking and pulling her closer to him.

"We shouldn't be doing this, Nathan." She said quietly, shaking her head.

"What, am I being too obvious?" He questioned her, winking at her.

"Very obvious." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"I just needed three minutes and thirteen seconds of your time, Haley. That's how long the song is." He said to her, looking down at her.

Haley let out a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second, before blinking them open and looking up at him. "I wish I could give you more than this, Nathan. But it's dangerous."

Nathan shook his head, pulling her closer to him. "I wish I was a better dancer, then I could sweep you off your feet." He said, ignoring her previous statement.

"Nathan..."

"Haley."

"I should get back to Jesse." She said softly.

"The song is almost over." He said desperately, looking down at her.

She nodded slowly in response, letting out a small sigh, staying silent.

"I'm not giving up, Haley James." He whispered in her ear, kissing the side of her head softly.

Haley continued to stay quietly, her grip on Nathan's shirt tightening.

Eventually, the song ended, and Haley escaped Nathan's arms, hurrying back over to Brooke, who had Lucas, Peyton, and Jake standing next to her, all with shocked expressions on their faces. She didn't look back at Nathan thought. She knew if she looked back, she'd run into his arms and kiss him senseless.

"Wow." Jake spoke first, clearing his throat and rubbing his neck.

"Message loud and clear." Peyton said, looking past Haley at Nathan, who had now walked over to the bar.

Brooke looked at Haley, raising her eyebrows. "Haley..." She began.

Haley held up her hand, shaking her head. "Brooke."

"Is there something you-" Brooke began, being cut off by Lucas covering her mouth.

"Look." He said, nodding towards the bar.

Haley looked over, feeling her heart start to pound. Jesse had walked over to Nathan. How the hell had this happened? She'd gone from going on an occasional date, to this.

"Maybe we shouldn't be watching." Lucas spoke again.

"Shut up, Lucas." Brooke said, pushing his hand away from her, keeping her gaze glued on the two men at the bar.

"Nathan." Jesse said, leaning against the bar and looking at them.

Nathan looked over at Jesse, before nodding at Owen to pour him another shot. "Jesse." He responded.

"That was something." Jesse said, looking at him.

"That was the idea." Nathan responded, making eye contact with Owen, who rolled his eyes. "Where's Chase?"

"He's getting ready to go." Owen responded, shrugging slightly.

"It sort of seems like you're going after Haley... But that's not it, right? I just misunderstood you." Jesse said, clearing his throat.

Nathan laughed, picking up his shot. "No, you understood. That's exactly what I'm doing." He said, smirking slightly. He downed his shot quickly, looking over at Jesse. "I'm going to go see if Chase can give me a ride home. You have a good night, Jesse."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Can you believe this, Haley?" Jesse asked, dropping another bouquet of flowers on her kitchen counter.

Nathan had been dropping off several bouquets of various flowers flowers a few times a day for the past two weeks, even while she was at school. A few of her new students were awestruck that Nathan Scott was showing up at her classroom several times a day He was out of town this week, and he continued to send flowers.

"It's just harmless, I'm sure." Haley said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Every day! He sends them every day." Jesse said, shaking his head.

"It's just Nathan." She said simply, shrugging.

Jesse sighed, looking at her. He leaned against the counter, "How do you feel like the year is going so far?" He asked her, changing the subject.

"I think it's going well." She said, looking over at him. "So far my students are behaving. The worst part about this year is Jamie being in kindergarten." She said, laughing. "What about you? Dealing with all the freshmen?"

"I don't know what I was thinking when I wanted to teach them." He said, chuckling quietly.

"Yeah, exactly why I like teaching the sophomores and juniors. Sophomores are more used to high school, juniors aren't seniors so they still have some motivation." She said, nodding her head and letting out a deep breath.

"How do they handle your superstar ex-fiancé bringing you flowers every day?" Jesse asked her, rolling his eyes.

"Dammit, Jesse. Just chill out, alright?" Haley snapped to him, shaking her head. "It's not like I have any control over him or anything he does."

"Tell him to stop, Haley! Have you told him that yet?" He asked her, letting out a deep sigh.

"It wouldn't make a difference." She said simply. "I know Nathan."

"Maybe you don't." Jesse responded, shaking his head.

"But I do, Jesse." She said to him.

"You spend so much damn time with him so maybe you do, actually." Jesse grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"He's my child's father. Stop being an ass." Haley said, crossing her arms.

"What, Haley? I'm just saying things that need to be said." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"No, you listen to me. I spend time with Nathan because of Jamie. And I will continue to spend time with Nathan because it is in the best interest of my son." She said, shaking her head.

"Really, Haley? I'm not stupid. I've seen his clothes in your closet, okay? I've stopped by your house at night and sometimes you're not here. Where are you when that happens?" He asked her, shaking his head. "Look, I don't know. Maybe you do have feelings for me, maybe not. But you have something for him, and I don't want to be in the middle of that. So if you can look me in the eye, and say something to make me think otherwise, then I won't walk out that door right now." Jesse said simply, looking at her. "Because you've been closed off, Haley. I've told you things that should make you feel better. I've told you that I love you, and that I could see us going far. But you've never said anything like that to me. All I see is your ex's clothes in your closet, him sending you flowers, him dancing with you to a song called Jessie's Girl, and who knows what else."

Haley looked at him, biting down on her thumbnail softly, letting out a deep breath. She looked away for a moment, before looking back at him. "Jesse, I think that you're a great guy."

"Yeah." Jesse said, shaking his head. "But I'm not Nathan. And I don't want to be Nathan." He said simply, stepping to her.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, shaking her head. "I really didn't want it to be like this."

He held up his hand. "I don't want to hear it. It's whatever." He said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry." She apologized again, returning his hug and letting out a deep breath.

"I'll see you on Monday." He responded, stepping away from her. "Good luck." He said softly, walking out of her house.

xxxx

Haley was sprawled across her bed at around ten o'clock at night, Jamie already in bed. She held a rose above her head, examining it quietly. She really did feel bad for Jesse. She never meant for things to end up this way, by any means. At the beginning of the summer, she was just about ready to never talk to Nathan again. But he'd found his way back into her heart and into her thoughts. It scared her so much, that maybe she held onto Jesse a little too long. She knew that she was using Jesse to hide her feelings. But she was terrified to let herself fall.

After sitting there, she grabbed her phone off the night stand next to her, letting out a deep breath. Searching through her contacts, she found the person she was set on calling, letting out a deep breath and tapping their name.

Two rings later, her sister finally picked up the phone.

"Hey Haley!" Quinn said into the phone.

"Hey Quinny." Haley responded, letting out a deep breath. "How're things going?"

"I'm alright." Quinn said, smiling slightly. "But you sound upset."

"I have a problem." Haley responded, sighing.

"It wouldn't have anything to go with a tall, dark haired basketball player, would it?" The older sister asked.

"Maybe a little." She responded, sitting up slowly. "How do you always know?"

"I'm your sister, Hales. It's my job." Quinn laughed, shrugging.

"I just don't know what to do." She said, leaning back against the headboard of her bed. "Jesse and I broke up today."

"You don't sound very sad." Quinn said slowly.

"I'm not." Haley said simply. "Which sounds terrible, but I'm not sad. I feel bad that I strung him along for this long. I feel bad that I didn't reciprocate his feelings because he's a great guy. But I'm not sad."

"So what's wrong then, Haley Bob?" Quinn asked her. "Why don't you just go tell Nathan and make yourself happy?"

Haley let out a deep breath, looking at the rose again. "Because I'm scared that it won't work out."

"Why not?"

"It didn't the first time, Quinn." She pointed out, letting out a deep sigh. "And now Jamie is older and he understands it a little more. I don't want to hurt him."

"Jamie is tough, Haley. He can handle it." Quinn said, letting out a deep sigh. "I think you're a great mother for putting him first. But you're only thinking of the bad side."

"I have to think of the bad side." Haley defended herself.

"What about the good side? Where you fall asleep in Nathan's arms every night? Where you show up to his basketball games with Jamie and you wear his jersey? Where Jamie gets to live in the same house as his parents?" Quinn began. "You won't have to feel awkward when guys ask you about your slutty tramp stamp because the only guy that will see it would be Nathan? Falling in love every day, Haley. All of the good things that you haven't let yourself think of because you're scared."

Haley stayed quiet for a second, biting down on her lip. "It was hard to get over him."

"But now that you know Nathan didn't kiss her, where are your thoughts?" Quinn asked her.

"He still let her flirt with him, and he would flirt back." Haley pointed out. "And we were fighting a lot."

"Yeah, and you also had a baby and weren't getting any sleep. And you had college, and he had the draft coming up. And his parents were assholes. Haley, there are millions of reasons that you guys started falling apart, but what did you do to keep it together? You got engaged while you were pregnant, but did you talk about the wedding?" Quinn questioned her.

"We were going to talk about it after he was signed to a team." Haley said, biting her lip.

"I'm not saying that you didn't try to work on it, because I know that you did. But did you do all that you could?" Quinn asked her.

"Isn't this a little hypocritical of you, Quinn?" Haley said to her, shaking her head and covering her mouth. She had not meant to say that.

"No need to be nasty, Haley." Quinn responded, letting out a small sigh. "I'm just saying, that whatever it is that's holding you back... You're using it as an excuse because you're scared."

Haley was quiet for a moment, letting out a slow, deep breath. Quinn was right. Of course, she shouldn't be surprised. Quinn was almost always right. But she could still feel the fear and the uncertainty of the things that could go wrong.

"I'm just scared for Jamie, mostly." Haley finally spoke. "He wants this so badly. I'm just worried that it wouldn't work out."

"I'm not saying that there's anything wrong in being cautious, Hales. At all. Maybe take it slow. I'm not saying to get married on your first date. But give the boy something!" Quinn laughed, shaking her head.

Haley let out a small sigh, biting down on her bottom lip. "Okay." She said softly. "You're right."

"Hell yeah I'm right." Quinn said, smiling. "I love you, alright? But I'm in Brazil right now and this call is costing me a lot of money."

"Alright. I love you too. Come visit when you get back." Haley said softly, hanging up the phone after Quinn said goodbye.

Quinn was right. She was scared, but she was using it as an excuse. The words Lucas spoke to her a few weeks ago were ringing in her ears. If you're looking for reasons not to be with someone, you're always going to find them. She had been looking at all the bad, and ignoring all the good.

Haley quickly searched through her contacts, until she found the name she was looking for, pressing down on the call button.

After a few seconds, there was a click, followed by a husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nathan."


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, I do like this chapter, but I think it may upset some of you. I'm sorry.**

 **Chapter 14**

Haley stood in front of Nathan's door, waiting for him to answer it, smiling down at Jamie, who was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"Jame, you saw him a week ago." She laughed, flattening out his hair.

"Aren't you excited, Mama?" He asked, looking up at her.

After her conversation with Nathan the previous night... She was excited. She was also nervous, and happy, and hopeful, and a little scared of what was to come. She could hear his footsteps approaching the door, her heart beginning to race. She was done fighting it. She was probably as excited at Jamie was.

Nathan pulled open the door, looking at Jamie and grinning. "Hey buddy!" He said, kneeling down and hugging his son tightly to him. He glanced up at Haley, winking at her, rubbing Jamie's back softly. "I missed you." He said quietly to his son.

Jamie hugged Nathan tightly, "I missed you too, Daddy! I have so much to tell you. Can we go play basketball? Please, please, please?" He begged, looking at him.

Nathan laughed, standing up and ruffling Jamie's hair. "Of course, buddy. Why don't you go inside and get your jersey on?" He said, looking over at Haley.

Jamie nodded, rushing past Nathan and into the house.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder, watching Jamie run up the stairs. He looked back at Haley, smirking slightly.

"Don't look at me like that." Haley said, stepping into the house.

"Like what?" He asked, closing the door behind her.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Like you know what I'm thinking, because you-" She was cut off by Nathan pushing her up against the door, his lips on hers. Maybe he could read her mind.

Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, gripping his t-shirt tightly. She pulled him closer to her, letting her eyes flutter shut.

Nathan's hand cupped her cheek, pulling her face closer to his. This was all he'd wanted. And since her phone call to him last night... She was all he'd been able to think about. Everything about her was perfect. He swore that he had not stopped smiling since she broke the news to him. All he wanted was her.

"Mm... Jamie is upstairs." Haley mumbled against his lips, pushing his shirt up softly, letting her fingernails scratch lightly over his newly exposed skin.

"Shh..." He responded, shaking his head slowly, "He'll be at least another two minutes." He said quietly, continuing to kiss her.

She nodded her head, relaxing against Nathan, hugging his body close to hers. When she walked up to the door, she had no idea what to expect out of Nathan. But this was a pleasant surprise.

After another minute, they heard footsteps running around upstairs, causing them to separate slowly, both of them breathing heavily.

"Think you can manage another night away from him?" Haley asked in between deep breaths, smoothing out Nathan's t-shirt.

Nathan nodded, swallowing heavily and smiling at her. He pressed one more brief kiss to her lips, listening to the footsteps hurrying down the stairs.

"Dinner. Tonight? I'll cook for you. About five o'clock." She said, biting her lip.

"Sounds perfect. I'm pretty sure Skillz has been dying to watch him." He responded, glancing over at Jamie.

"Mama needs to go, Jimmy Jam. Come give me a big hug and kiss for the road." Haley said, kneeling down and opening up her arms.

Jamie walked over to her, throwing his arms around her. "Bye." He said, smiling at her.

She smiled, kissing his head softly and holding him close. "Don't let your Daddy feed you too much junk food." She hummed, glancing up at Nathan.

If this was the last sight Nathan ever saw, he would die a happy man. He didn't want to jump the gun... But his family was about to be whole again. Sure, there were some things him and Haley needed to work through, and they'd still be living in separate houses for now at least. But they were headed in that direction, he could feel it. Probably the most difficult part would be convincing Haley of that. He was slowly, but surely breaking down the walls she'd put up when it came to him. He'd get her there.

"Alright, boys. Have fun with your basketball." Haley hummed, kissing Jamie's head once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, baby." She said, looking at Nathan and mouthing 'I'll see you tonight.'

Nathan smirked slightly, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Bye, Hales." He said, watching her walk out the door, looking down at Jamie. "What?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at the look his son was giving him.

Jamie smiled, shrugging. "Mama looked pretty today, don't you think?" He asked, nudging his elbow into Nathan's leg.

Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "Enough out of you." He said, tapping the top of Jamie's head. "Let's go."

xxxx

Nathan shifted the flowers he was holding from one hand to the other, wiping his palms on his pants quickly, letting out a deep breath and knocking on the door. He shook his head, exhaling slowly. He was so nervous, and he really didn't know why. It was Haley. Haley in all her beautiful glory, willing to give him another chance. Okay, maybe he did know why he was nervous. It was Haley, after all.

He felt his heart stop when she opened the door, taking a second to look over her appearance. He'd seen her hours ago, but it felt like a lifetime. He needed to stop staring at her, but he couldn't. She was so damn beautiful, it killed him. He wanted nothing more than to swoop her up into his arms, and kiss her endlessly. His feelings for her were returning so quickly, much like they'd began for her several years ago. Everything about her made him feel scared, but also made him feel brave and safe at the same time.

"Haley, you look... Wow." He finally said, smiling at her, holding out the flowers. "These are for you."

Haley smiled at him, stepping out of the door way and taking the flowers from him once he entered, "Great. I'll put them with the hundreds of other flowers I've received the past few weeks." She teased him, winking at him. "They're beautiful, Nathan. Just like the rest. Thank you." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

He smiled at her, hooking his arm around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. "You know, I missed you this past week." He informed her, kissing the top of her head. Even when she had heels on, he still towered over her. Something that she'd have to live with.

She looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Yeah?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath. "I loved getting the flowers, but I missed your face along with them."

"Hey, I'll keep bringing them." He said, laughing quietly.

"I don't think that'll be necessary anymore. Well, I don't know if it was necessary in the first place." She said, shrugging slightly. "But I liked it. They always seemed to arrive at the times when I needed them most."

"Well, I'm glad a little reminder of me helped you get through your day." He said, smirking at her.

Haley looked up at him, wrapping one arm around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him softly. Nathan Scott was an amazing human being. Maybe she was moving on a little quickly, but she didn't really care. It had been so long since she'd felt her heart pound, and the butterflies flutter in her stomach this strongly. The last guy to make her feel like this, was also the one standing in front of her now. It was a risky situation, for sure. But right now, it was just her and Nathan. They could figure out how to deal with everything else along the way.

Nathan smiled at her, "Thank you." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"For what?" She questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

"For giving me another chance. I probably don't deserve it." He said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him, kissing his cheek softly. "Shh. Let's go eat, yeah?"

xxxx

"You look stunning." Nathan informed her, smiling brightly. "It feels nice to be able to tell you that freely. Because damn, you look good."

Haley looked at him, smiling at him, her cheeks tinted red. "Thank you." She responded, tilting her head to the side. It probably shouldn't have surprised her how natural this all felt. When it was silent, it was comfortable. Though the butterflies had not stopped, she felt relaxed. Things with Nathan had been tense and awkward just months ago. It had all changed so quickly. It broke her heart that it took something so traumatic to bring them closer. The memory of their son lying face down in Nathan's pool still haunted her, and the thought of it now nearly made her burst into tears. That was a turning point in their relationship though. She couldn't even imagine how she would've felt that night if she'd gone home alone and had to face the whole situation without their son and Nathan next to her.

As if he knew her thoughts, Nathan reached across the table and held her hand. His thumb gently brushing over her knuckles.

He cleared his throat, standing up slowly. "Hey." He said, pulling his chair around the table so he was sitting next to her.

"Hi?" She laughed, looking at him and raising her eyebrows.

Nathan let out a deep breath, "I got you something." He said simply, reaching his hand into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box.

She looked at him, blinking. "What the hell? Why do guys get such big pockets? There is no way in hell I could ever fit anything like that in my-" She cut herself off, shaking her head, her gaze focusing on him. "You didn't have to get me anything. Why did you get me something?" She asked him, resting her hand on his knee.

Nathan laughed, smirking at her. "Well... I didn't get you anything for your birthday this year." He said to her, shrugging.

"My birthday was two months ago." She said softly, biting her lip.

"Yeah, I know." He said, nodding at her, letting out a deep breath. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

Haley rested her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over the smooth skin on his face. "Nathan..." She trailed off.

"Shh..." He said, resting his forehead on hers for a brief moment. He rested the box on the table, opening it slowly.

Inside was a definitely not what she was expecting to see. It was the colorful plastic bracelet that had meant so much to her, and to them. The start of Nathan Scott getting inside Haley James' head. The beginning of it all. Despite the fact that their relationship had not officially started until quite awhile after that. He had been such an ass the first time he had given this to her. She watched him slowly as he lifted it out of the box gently, reaching for her hand.

"There. Right where it belongs." He said, looking down at her wrist. "Don't say I never gave you anything." He hummed, smirking at her.

Haley smiled at him, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him over, kissing him quickly, her hands rubbing along his chest slowly.

Nathan smirked slightly, scooting towards the edge of his chair, his hand moving to rest on her side.

She pulled away after a second, looking at him and kinking one eyebrow. "You know, I don't usually kiss on first dates." She said softly, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Hm." He said, raising his eyebrows. "You've always kissed me before the first date."

"I guess you must be special." She said, brushing her finger down his sharp jawline, taking a moment to admire the bracelet on her wrist.

"Special? This is huge for me. Haley James thinks I'm special." He said, winking at her. "I don't consider this a first date. I consider this a long overdue thousandth date where we dated other people in between."

"Oh." She laughed, shaking her head. "Call it what you like, but it still feels nice being here with you." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

Nathan smiled at her, nodding his head and letting out a deep breath. "I'm so glad you think that." He said, winking at her.

Haley nodded, kissing his cheek softly. "So, tell me more about your week."

xxxx

The two of them sat next to each other on the couch, the lights low, only being lit up by a few candles that Haley had lit, claiming that the only reason she did it was because they smelled nice. Sure, Haley. Sure.

"Since Jamie gets out of school earlier than the high school, if no one can pick him up he always just comes and hangs out with me." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "It's happened twice already, and so far my classes love it. If only he knew how to teach this high of an English level, then maybe they'd get something out of it." She said, rolling her eyes. "I swear, so far my students would rather have anyone but me teaching them." She laughed, shaking her head. "Jamie explains the plot of children's movies to them while I teach them about Shakespeare's time so they can understand a little more. Which one would you rather listen to?"

"Well, uh... What movies does Jamie talk about?" He asked, smirking at her when she shoved him softly. He felt very... Light. This past week had been a huge weight on his shoulders. The season was starting in a little over a month, and his coach had put them through hell. Running drill after drill, there had been a point where him, along with half the team were throwing up in trash cans. After they'd finished, they'd all been forced to run again. He had not been planning on doing anything but laying on the couch and watching those children's movies that Haley was complaining about with Jamie. His previous exhaustion was long forgotten now.

"I can't believe you're already doing things in class." He grumbled, shaking his head. "You're a week into school, Haley."

"This is coming from a C student." She reminded him, shaking her head and laughing.

"C plus." He corrected her, clearing his throat. "And you were my tutor."

Haley smiled at him, resting her hand on his cheek for a brief moment, before letting her hand slide down. "My point is, if it were up to you, nothing would ever happen in school."

"The Ravens are never going to stop sucking if Ms. James gives endless hours of homework every night." He reminded her, shifting his body a little bit so he was facing her, setting his wine glass down on the coffee table, making sure to put it on a coaster.

"I do not give that much homework. I haven't given any homework yet." She assured him, shaking her head.

Nathan laughed, "Good job, Hales." He hummed, smiling at her.

"How was your week?" She asked him, casually resting her hand on his leg, her eyes meeting his.

"A lot of people don't achieve their dreams. Is it selfish of me to complain about mine?" He asked her, letting out a deep sigh, his fingers from the arm that was rest behind her reaching out to brush over her shoulder.

Haley smiled at him, squeezing his leg gently. Even during the past four years, she was constantly proud of Nathan. She never would've said it out loud, but she watching him turn from a boy, into a man. She remembered that stupid jack ass he once was, and she'd look at him today. He'd come so far, and it warmed her heart to know that part of it was her doing. He'd always said it was completely her.

"Nathan, just because you've achieved your dreams, doesn't mean it has to be fun all the time. At the end of the day, it's still a job and jobs can get tiring." She assured him, nodding slowly.

"Well then this week sucked ass." He laughed, shaking his head and leaning against the couch. "Every night I would just fall into my bed, call Jamie for only a few minutes, then go right to sleep and never return until my alarm went off the next day." He said, looking at her.

"If it makes you feel any better, those few minutes were the best part of Jamie's day. He really loves you." She assured him, smiling.

"I have a feeling this season is going to be a little miserable for me." He said, sighing softly.

"Why is that?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Because now I'll be missing you as much as I miss Jamie." He said, leaning over and kissing her quickly.

Haley rested her hands on the sides of his face, pulling him closer to her. He felt so familiar to her. She just wanted to kiss him and never stop. This wasn't an ordinary first date, she knew that. In fact, he had mentioned that he didn't consider this a first date at all. Before she knew it, she had lowered herself back on the couch, pulling him along with her.

Nathan had been slightly shocked at Haley's actions, raising his eyebrows a bit, but only kissing her deeper. He had no idea how long they stayed like that, but eventually Haley tapped his chest, signaling for him to sit up, which he did.

Haley looked at him and laughed quietly, reaching forward and using her thumb to wipe the lipstick off his lips.

He shook his head, looking at her, his breathing ragged. "Dammit." He chuckled, wiping at his face.

She smiled at him, her hand moving to rest on the side of his face for a brief moment. She crossed her legs, tugging at the end of her dress softly. "Wow." She said, letting out a deep breath. "This seems to be moving pretty quick already."

"I know." He agreed, nodding at her, taking her hand gently. "Maybe we should... Cool it a little bit." He suggested, shrugging slightly.

"That's what I was going to suggest." She said, smiling slightly at him. "This scares me a little bit, Nathan."

He nodded his head, pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. "Me too." He mumbled.

Haley hesitated for a moment, squeezing his hand lightly. "Maybe we should keep this between us for a little while. Just to make sure."

Nathan looked at her, nodding in agreement. He most definitely didn't want to pressure her into anything, and even more than that, he didn't want to hurt Jamie at all. So if they needed to make sure this was something real, then they could keep it to themselves for awhile. He was already pretty sure of his feelings though, and he hoped that Haley was too, because he didn't know how long they'd be able to keep this quiet.

"Thank you." Haley said softly to him, kissing him briefly.

"This could get pretty sexy, you know. Being a secret." He informed her, smirking slightly.

"Maybe we should define slow. Set some boundaries." She said, laughing.

"No sex is probably what you were thinking, hm?" He said, winking at her and laughing when her cheeks flushed red.

"Nathan!" She laughed, kissing him briefly. "Yes, that was what I was thinking." She informed him, running her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, don't think that I don't want to, I do. It's just different with you than with anyone else. I want it to be more... Special." She said simply, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan nodded at her, smiling. She was so amazing. He was a lucky man to be sitting in front of her. He was very lucky to even be on her radar. She deserved so much more than him, yet here she was.

"I think I can handle that." He said, winking at her. "I think."

She laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"But does that mean I can't..." He leaned forward, kissing down her neck slowly. "Kiss you like this?"

Haley felt her heart speed up, her eyes squeezing shut. This was probably going to be harder than keeping them a secret. Damn him.

"No." She confirmed, tilting her head back.

He kissed the skin underneath her ear, "Or like this?" He questioned, gently biting down on her earlobe.

"Mm..." She hummed out, letting out a deep breath, gripping his shirt lightly. Yep. Nathan Scott definitely wasn't going to make this easy for her.

He pulled back after a second, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, letting out a deep breath and glancing at the time. It was already nine o'clock. He'd been at her house for four hours, but it definitely had not felt like it. He hugged her close to him, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

Haley curled into his side, pressing a kiss to her should before resting her head there, kicking off her shoes and gently brushing her foot over his leg. "This is nice." She whispered, looking around the dimly lit room.

"Being here with you is everything to me, Haley." He said to her, resting his head on top of hers.

She smiled at his words, nudging her nose against his shoulder in response, holding onto him tightly.

"I feel a little bad." She said softly, shaking her head. "Jesse and I just broke up yesterday."

"Another reason why this should be a little more lowkey for now." He informed her, rubbing her arm softly. "So... Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Haley looked up at him, kinking one eyebrow. "You could probably guess, mister." She laughed, shaking her head. "You weaseled your way back into my heart." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "We were arguing about you, and he just said something about how I still cared about you, and that no matter what he would do, I'd still always enjoy your company more than his, and he said he didn't want to be in the middle anymore."

Nathan was quiet for a second, a small frown on his face. He broke up with her. Not the other way around. If Jesse had not said anything to her, she'd probably be with him right now. He should just be happy that she was all his now. But the fact that she had not been the one to initiate her break up made him feel very uneasy inside. Almost angry at the fact that he'd been trying hard to keep her in his grasp, but she'd been trying just as hard to push him away. Maybe he should just get over it right now before his thoughts consumed him. He had a beautiful girl that he wanted to be with next to him, and she was saying that she wanted to be with him. For all he knew, maybe she'd been telling Jesse that she wanted to be with him as well. Nathan had really put himself out there to win her over. The little "Jessie's Girl" stunt he pulled had taken him a lot of guts to do. Showing up at her classroom every day with flowers, had taken a lot. Everything he'd done the past three weeks had been hard for him to do, because he was unsure of how she would react. Or how anyone would react. Putting himself out there right now, had been difficult. He had the same fears that she did. Would it work out? What would happen if it didn't? Would Jamie be okay? All those fears that he'd pushed to the side. His brain told him that Haley was being genuine, and that he shouldn't read into this too much. But every insecurity he had in him was screaming at him that the only reason she was here was because Jesse broke up with her. Screaming at him that she'd still be with Jesse right now. She wouldn't have broken up with him.

Haley could tell by the look on Nathan's face that whatever was going through his head, was not good. She rested her hand on his cheek, making him look at her. "Nathan." She said slowly, letting out a deep breath.

"So, uh... He broke up with you?" He asked, letting out a deep sigh. "That sucks." He meant it more for him, than for her. She didn't seem upset about it at all.

"Nathan, don't." She said, sighing softly. "Don't do that."

Nathan shook his head, suddenly feeling very aware of everything going on around him. The sound of the clock ticking, the gentle noise of the wind. He could even hear his own breathing. He could hear everything, but the girl sitting next to him. She was talking, but he wasn't listening. He wasn't this guy. He tried not to be. He tried not to let himself be insecure, especially when it came to Haley. He assumed she was probably saying son reassuring words to him, but it was just noise. In one ear, out the other.

He stood up slowly, running his fingers through his hair. "Ah, you know, um... It's been a rough week. I could really use a good nights sleep. I'm going to head home." He said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Wait, Nathan." Haley said, standing up quickly and grabbing his hand. Jesse had broken up with her, sure. But that didn't have anything to do with the way she was feeling about the tall man in front of her. She was reaching breaking point anyways, Jesse was just the first one to get there. She hadn't felt an ounce of sadness since he'd done it. Just the excitement, as well as the fear of telling Nathan. "Don't go." She finally said.

He studied her, letting out a deep breath. "I don't want to be a rebound, Haley."

"Nathan, please. You're not. You could never be." She said, pushing his hair back softly.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Thanks for dinner." He said, letting out a deep breath. He hesitated at the door for a minute, before sending her a smug smirk. "By the way, you've got a hell of an ass." He said, winking at her and heading out the door.

Haley sat back down on the couch, running her fingers through her hair. "Dammit." She grumbled, shaking her head. That was not what she'd expected. In all honesty, she should have broken up with Jesse a long time ago instead of hiding behind him. Of course she could see it from Nathan's point of view. But if only Nathan could see it from her perspective. Her fingers moved to the colored bracelet on her wrist. What she was feeling for him, was different than was she'd felt for anyone. She had to make him see that, before his thoughts consumed him and this thing was over before it started.

xxxx

Nathan had taken a different route home, just driving around to clear his head. Maybe he was being ridiculous. He cared so much about Haley, and maybe if he had listened to her then he'd still be cuddled up next to her on the couch. Not driving around town like a lost puppy, searching for something to make him feel better.

Of course, nothing happened. He had two sources of comfort, and one was the cause of his troubled mind, and the other was hopefully asleep in his bed and had been for an hour. When he pulled into the driveway, he was a little confused to see two cars in his driveway. One belonged to Skillz, and the other looked very familiar, but he could not pinpoint who it belonged to.

He sat in his car for several more minutes, before finally getting out and heading inside, letting out a deep breath and shoving his hands into his pockets. The house was quiet, which meant Jamie was asleep. Good. It was too late for him to be awake, and Nathan couldn't deal with the twenty thousand questions his son probably had right now. He began to walk through the house, looking for Skillz, his eyebrows raised. He found one of the guest room doors closed, pausing in front of it. He heard voices, and laughter, and... Kissing? Skillz better not have brought a girl into his house while he was watching his son, hell no. That would not fly well with him, and if Haley found out... She'd be mad.

Maybe it was a little cocky of him, but he'd told Skillz that he might need him to spend the night with Jamie tonight, but this was unacceptable, really. One night. Skillz could have gone one night without whoever he had in there. What the hell was Nathan supposed to do in this situation? He felt so uncomfortable, especially with the fact that Jamie was just down the hall. He hoped that the door was locked, because unlike himself, Jamie may have just barged in. Nathan let out a deep sigh, raising his fist and knocking on the door slowly, shaking his head. This would definitely be interesting.

He heard some shuffling inside, before Skillz poked his head out of the room, looking up at Nathan. "Nate." He said, nodding at him. "You're home early."

"Yeah. Plans changed. What's going on in here?" Nathan asked accusingly, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, man. Just watching some Netflix." Skillz said, gesturing to the TV.

Nathan nodded slowly, raising his eyebrows. "Hm." He said, shaking his head.

"Come on in." Skillz said, pulling the door further open. "How was your date?"

"Fine." Nathan said, stepping into the room and looking around. "How was Jamie?"

"You don't ever need to worry about the kid, Nate. He's a good kid." Skillz assured him, sitting on the bed. "So, what did you-

"Alright, cut the shit. I know there's someone in here. I'm happy that you've found yourself a girl, Skillz. But bringing her into my house when you watch my son? Man, can you imagine if it was Haley that was here instead of me?" Nathan asked him, letting out a deep breath.

"Uh-" Skillz began, rubbing his neck. "Look, I've been wanting to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" Nathan asked slowly, scowling at his old friend. He suddenly looked very nervous. Not an excited nervous like Nathan had felt earlier that night. But a terrified nervous. "Dude, you better tell me." He said, shaking his head.

Skillz opened his mouth to speak, when someone stepped out of the closet.

Nathan's eyes shot to her, his stomach dropping. This wasn't happening. This could not be happening. She couldn't be the mystery girl that Skillz was always texting, or the girl that was making out with his friend in his guest bedroom just minutes ago. Absolutely not. He looked between the two of them, his jaw hanging open in surprise.

It felt like hours before Nathan finally spoke.

"Mom?!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"You know, Nathan... You should really start locking your door." Haley called out, making sure to be a little quiet so she wouldn't wake up Jamie, stepping into his house and locking the door behind her.

Nathan's head shot over to the door from the spot he was pacing in the living room, Deb and Skillz sitting on the couch in front of him, a respectable distance apart. He had not said anything in the fifteen minutes they'd been sitting there, just pacing back and forth. He briefly looked over and made eye contact with his mother, then with his friend.

Haley stopped in her tracks. Nathan looked like a deer in headlights. Her gaze moved over to the two people on the couch, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

This was the first time she had been in the same room as Deb Scott in four years.

What the hell was she doing here? She was ready to rip Nathan a new one, honestly. They'd both agreed that his parents were toxic, and that in the off chance they actually wanted to spend time with Jamie, it wasn't going to happen. Ever.

"I didn't do it." Nathan blurted out, shaking his head and holding up his hands. "It wasn't me."

Deb looked at Haley, standing up slowly. "Hello, Haley." She said, glancing over at Skillz.

"Nathan. A word." Haley said, shooting him a pointed look, crossing her arms.

Nathan let out a deep breath, "I swear, you two better stay far away from each other. Mom, go stand in the corner or something." He snapped, following Haley into a different room.

Haley's head was spinning slightly. Obviously there was more to the story, Nathan looked very flustered and panicked. She'd come over because she didn't like the way they ended things, and now she was wishing she hadn't. She turned to him, looking up at him and raising one eyebrow.

"I got home and saw another car here. I started looking around and caught them in my guest bedroom." Nathan blurted out, covering his eyes. "They were going to have sex in my house." He groaned, shaking his head. "I'm going to throw up."

"Did Jamie see her?" She asked him, pulling his hands off his face.

"I don't know." He grumbled, letting out a deep breath. "My mom is dating... Skillz, Haley. Gross."

Haley covered his mouth for a second, letting out a deep breath. "Let me think for a minute, Nathan." She said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Go and tell them to leave."

"What? Shouldn't I... Beat him up or something?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

"Nathan, I can't do this. Your parents... They're too much." She said simply, shrugging.

Deb and Dan Scott were the most toxic people she'd ever met. Between Dan's constant verbal abuse, and Deb's constant pill popping, it was exhausting. She used to like Deb. A lot. But something switched in Deb after Nathan started moving on in his life. Thankfully, her and Dan had gotten divorced not long after Nathan and Haley started dating, which helped. But once Haley got pregnant, Deb was back to acting crazy. Telling Haley what a huge mistake she was making, and telling Nathan the same. Back to drinking and popping pills, certainly not someone they wanted around their child. Dan had always been terrible. That, she could have dealt with. Dan had told Nathan plain and simple that he would be better off without Haley and that she and a baby were just holding him back from the NBA. Deb had been more discrete. Manipulating them in small ways, slipping thoughts into both of their heads. It put a lot of strain on the young couple.

Nathan let out a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ear, shaking his head. "This is horrible."

Haley let out a deep breath, looking up at Nathan and focusing on him for a second. He looked horrified. She couldn't blame him, really. If she was in his shoes, she'd be freaking out right now. So instead of worrying about Deb, she was going to worry about him for a the time being.

She rested one hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. "Hey." She said softly, letting out small sigh.

"This is terrible." He groaned, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I didn't actually see them. But I heard it." He grumbled.

"Gross." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing. I really feel bad for you." She said, kissing his cheek briefly.

"There were noises, Haley. Terrible ones." He groaned, leaning back against the counter. "What kind of friend dates another friend's mom?"

"He's a good friend, Nathan. Maybe it's not serious." Haley assured him, leaning against the counter next to him. "Do you want to go talk to them?"

"No." He grumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "Let's just hide out here for... Ever?" He'd said simply, looking down at her.

"Sounds like a good plan to me." She laughed, nudging him softly. "But if you did want to go yell at him... Maybe try and do it quietly so you don't wake up Jamie." She said, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan rested his hand over hers briefly, nodding slowly. "I'm assuming you came to talk to me?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't like the way we ended things at my house." She said simply, sending him a small smile. "But it can wait." She assured him, standing up slowly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But before you go in there, just know that I'll be right behind you." She said softly, closing her eyes.

Nathan's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close to him. Minutes ago, he had felt a little lost and confused about them, and their relationship. Then this happened with his mother and friend, and it added to the confusion. But holding her in his arms right now was nice. Helped him focus on something other than the problems at hand.

"Thank you." He whispered, kissing her head briefly. "I don't know what to say."

"You talk to your mom, I'll talk to Antwon." Haley suggested, raising her eyebrows. "Come on, Scott. Let's go." She said, tugging on his shirt and pulling him out of the room.

As soon as they returned to the living room, Haley let go of Nathan. She moved to stand in front of the couch where Skillz was sitting, crossing her arms. "Let's have a chat." She said, sitting down next to him, nodding at Nathan as he walked past her to where Deb was.

Nathan pulled his mother outside, shoving his hands into his pockets, shaking his head. He didn't know where to start. This was unlike any situation he'd ever had to deal with. It wasn't his friend Tim telling him that his mom was hot. It was one of his good friends, dating his mom.

"I was surprised to see Haley come in." Deb commented, looking at her son.

"She was dropping something off for Jamie." Nathan said simply, looking at her. "Did you see him?" He asked, kicking his foot at the ground and looking out at the pool in his backyard.

"No." Deb said quietly, letting out a small sight. "I knew this was a bad idea, Nathan." She said, shrugging slightly.

"A terrible idea, Mom. Look, I'm sorry that you don't get to see Jamie, but it was your own doing. And dating one of my friends to get to him... What the hell?" He snapped, shaking his head.

"I'm not dating Antwon to get to Jamie, Nathan. I care about him." She assured him, shaking her head.

Push her in the pool. That's what his brain told him to do. Of course, he wasn't going to push his mother in the pool. But after that bullshit she just said, it was definitely a possibility.

"Do you hear yourself when you talk, Mom? He's my age! He's my friend!" Nathan protested, shaking his head.

"Which is why we didn't tell you." Deb pointed out, shaking her head.

Nathan stayed silent, staring at the ground in front of him. What the hell was going on?

"Haley looks nice." Deb said softly, nodding at him. "It's been a long time since I've seen her."

"We don't need to talk about Haley. Everything that you don't have mom, it's your own fault. Got it? You cut yourself out of Jamie's lives. We don't need you around our son."

"I didn't realize you two were a 'we' again." Deb said simply, raising her eyebrows.

"Cut the shit." Nathan snapped to her, shaking his head. "End your relationship with him."

"Nathan, you can't ask me to do that." Deb said, shaking her head.

"I can do whatever the hell I want, Mom! I've been pulling for you. I've brought you back into my life a little bit over the past year, and I've been trying to get you time with Jamie, okay? You've hurt Haley in so many ways, and I wouldn't put it past her if she never let you spend time with Jamie, but I've been trying. Every once and awhile I'll suggest it. But this... This is horrible." He snapped to her, rolling his eyes and turning away from her, letting out a deep breath. He honestly did think that his mom had changed, and he did want her to have a relationship with Jamie, as long as Haley was comfortable with it. But the thought of her and one of his friends... Disturbed him. Especially since he'd found out about it because they were doing who knows what in his home.

Haley watched as Nathan argued with Deb outside, letting out a deep breath. Honestly, all she wanted to do was rub her hand over his back and relax his tense muscles, and kiss that scowl off his forehead, but then her gaze shifted to Deb, and the anger came flooding back to her. She shifted her gaze back to Skillz, who finally spoke.

"What's up?" Skillz asked her innocently, looking up at her.

Haley scowled at him, "What the hell is the matter with you?" She asked him, shaking her finger.

"C'mon, James. Don't use your mom voice on me." He joked, attempts on to lighten the mood.

She let out a loud sigh, shaking her head. "Jamie loves you so much. I love you, Nathan loves you. But... Really?" She asked, shaking her head.

"I like her." He responded, crossing his arms and leaning back against the couch.

"We don't let her near Jamie, Antwon! So why on earth would you bring her under the same roof as him?" She asked him, shaking her head and looking back out at Nathan.

"Look- Not my fault that you can't see how different she is." Skillz said simply, shrugging. "I like her a lot."

"She's Nathan's mom. Nathan is your friend, Skillz!" She pointed out, rolling her eyes. "What would you have done if he woke up? We don't want her with Jamie."

"Haley, Jamie's a good kid. Deb is better now." Skillz pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe y'all should stop living in the past. People change." He said, standing up.

She let out a deep breath, looking at him and sighing. Part of her was thinking about what he said. People do change. But Deb could easily start popping pills again. Maybe she wouldn't. But she could.

"Look at Nate. He was an ass and here he is." Skillz said to her, looking over at Nathan, who was currently outside giving his mother the silent treatment, his arms crossed and his back to her while Deb attempted to talk to him.

Haley let out a deep breath. Dammit, she hated when people compared development to Nathan. It hit close to home for her, and made her heart soften a little bit. She looked at her childhood friend, letting out a deep breath. "I'll think about it, okay? But I think you should get her and go before Nathan gets even more mad." She said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder.

He nodded in response, making eye contact with Deb through the sliding glass door, nodding his head towards the front door of Nathan's home.

Deb nodded in response, resting her hand on Nathan's back briefly, telling him a quiet goodbye, before turning and heading back inside.

The two of them headed out the door, and Haley watched as Nathan rushed past her after them about a minute later.

Nathan ran out the door, watching his Mom drive away. He stopped in front of Skillz's car, walking around in and gesturing for him to roll down the window.

"Really, man? My mom?" He said to his friend, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath. "No cool, Skillz. Not cool at all." He said, before stepping away and tapping his hand on the door. "Good luck." He grumbled, walking back into the house, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He fell silently down onto the couch, leaning forward, elbows rested on his knees with his face pressed into his hands.

Haley took a seat next to him quietly, resting her hand on his back, smoothing it over his tense muscles. "Talk to me." She said softly, looking at him.

"I really don't know what to say, Hales." He said, letting out an annoyed sigh. "This was very unexpected, that's for sure." He grumbled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Hales. I didn't know she would be here. She didn't see Jamie, though."

She shook her head, linking her arm through his and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Skillz said something to me that made sense. People can change, Nathan. Maybe I've been a little... Hung up on the way your mother used to be." She said softly. "I'm not saying we let her into Jamie's life yet, but maybe we could start with the three of us going to lunch or something."

Nathan looked over at her, letting out a small sigh. "I don't know if he can make sense after what I just stumbled upon." He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

She let out a quiet laugh, rubbing her hand up and down his back lightly. It had been years, but she could feel herself slipping into a familiar routine. Nathan would get stressed out, and she would sit with him, calm him down a bit. It was an odd, but comforting feeling.

He closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "I wish that he wouldn't have brought her here." He groaned.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, Nate. I promise. I'm not upset. Jamie didn't see her. She looks like she's doing well." She pointed out, gently massaging the back of his head.

"You promise you aren't upset?" He questioned, looking over at her.

Haley leaned forward, kissing him lightly. "I promise." She replied, nodding. She really did mean it. Deb appeared to be doing well. She knew that Antwon would never put Jamie in harms way, so if he believed hat Deb was any type of threat... He wouldn't have brought her near the five year old. That meant something to Haley. Maybe she could let go of the past. She'd still have to be cautious, but maybe everyone was moving forward.

"You said you wanted to talk." Nathan said quietly, leaning forward a bit more, letting out a quiet sigh.

She nodded at him, tucking her feet underneath her on the couch, continuing to lightly rub her hand over his back. "Yeah." She said, sucking in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Nathan." She began. "I should've broke up with him after Brooke's show. I was just... Scared. Scared of falling for you again. Scared of being hurt, and scared of Jamie feeling hurt." She said to him. "I probably should've done it before that, actually. I don't know, I was hiding behind him." She informed him quietly. "I'm sorry. You aren't a rebound, Nathan. You couldn't be." She said, kissing his head softly.

Nathan looked at her, sitting up straighter. "I guess I'm just a little..." He shifted slightly, almost whispering the next word that came out of his mouth. "Insecure." He mumbled, tearing his gaze from hers.

Haley grabbed Nathan's chin and forced his eyes back to hers as soon as he shifted them away. She kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Usually he acted so sure of himself, or at least that was the front he put on for everyone. He liked to keep his problems to himself, but the rare moments she let him in, were great ones. At the moment, it felt like the past few years had not happened. It was weird how quickly she was falling again.

"I hurt you." Nathan began again after the kiss broke. "A lot." He added, shaking his head. He may not have kissed Carrie. But when he looked back on the whole situation, he allowed her to speak to him in ways that he shouldn't have, and spoke to her in ways he shouldn't have. It was much less than professional. He had loved Haley so much, yet for some reason... He let their attractive nanny hit on him. He had not told Haley when it started. Hell, he didn't even tell her when she kissed him. He would say things to her just for the sake of arguing with her. A combination of the lack of sleep they'd both gotten since Jamie was born, and the feeling of slowly pushing each other away had caused them so many problems. He was scared that she was scared. Second chances don't come around often.

"I hurt you too." Haley said, pushing her fingers through his hair. "I spent a lot of time studying and focusing on Jamie that I kind of pushed you to the side." She said simply, shaking her head. "When we broke up, I would lay awake at night and think about what happened. What I would've done to make you stay. What I could change. That was one of the big ones."

"Haley, you were doing what you had to do. I didn't blame you." He protested, shaking his head.

"I thought back to all the times I would be doing homework, and you would come up behind me and start to kiss my neck, asking me to take a break. I would push you back and tell you that I had too much homework, and that Jamie would probably wake up soon so there was no point." She pointed out, letting out a small sigh. "Or you would ask to take me to dinner and I would say something about how we didn't have the money, then you'd suggest we watch a movie and I'd turn you away with that too. I pushed you away too, Nathan. I can't put all of the blame on you." She said, rubbing his shoulder softly. "We both did things."

"Yeah, but I-"

"Stop." Haley said, shushing him quietly. They had to talk about stuff like this eventually, but she didn't want them to throw themselves into it all at once. She didn't want to play the blame game and live in the past. They needed to move forward.

"I'm here to apologize." She said, resting her hand on his chest. "I'm sorry that Jesse broke up with me. I should've been the one to end things." She said softly, kissing him briefly. "I just want you to know that I care about you, and that I'm excited and hopeful to see where this goes."

Nathan nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. "Okay." He said. "Sorry for freaking out a little bit."

She smiled at him, kissing him again, standing up slowly. "I better go." She said to him, running her fingers through his hair. "You have fun with Jamie tomorrow, alright?"

"You aren't going to stop by?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and standing up.

"He's missed you a lot." She said, letting her arms wrap around his torso, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We'll see." He chuckled, kissing her head. "Now that I've got you, I can't imagine not seeing you tomorrow." He hummed, pulling her closer to him.

"Well then maybe I'll come over for awhile." Haley said softly, squeezing him tight.

"I hope you do." He chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment, before releasing her. He walked her to the door, pulling it open. "I'll see you tomorrow, gorgeous."

"Mhm." She hummed, tucking her fingers into his shirt collar. "Kiss for the road?"

"The fact that you're asking is ridiculous." He said, leaning down and kissing her.

Haley wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down a bit and standing on her toes. A simple kiss from Nathan send shocks through her whole body. A simple touch from Nathan could do the same. She was about to fall hard and fast.

After a minute, Nathan pulled back, smirking down at her and winking. "I like that. Kissing you."

She grinned up at him, pecking his lips once more, heading out the door. She stopped halfway through it, looking over her shoulder at him. "I can't believe Skillz is dating your mom."

Nathan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. When she said it, it sounded crazy. He wouldn't believe it if he hadn't seen it.

"Goodnight, Haley." He laughed, waving at her.

"Goodnight, Nathan." She responded.

He watched her head out to her car, waving at her again as she left, before closing the door.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for the reviews on this story and my other stories! I appreciate all of you so much.**

 **And I just realized I've been spelling Skills' name wrong, so I fixed that.**

 **Chapter 16**

"Jamie, go upstairs and get dressed. Teeth brushed, shoes on." Haley hummed, watching him run from the table, up the stairs. She smiled slightly at Nathan, picking up Jamie's breakfast plate and beginning to rinse it off in the sink.

Within moments, her back was to the counter, Nathan's hands resting on either side of her, pinning her up against the counter.

"Hey." He said, smirking at her and glancing towards the stairs, leaning over and kissing her quickly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling against his mouth, her eyes fluttering shut. It was only the following Monday after their date on Saturday night, and they had not spent a lot of time together, so since Nathan had brought Jamie to get ready for school, every second their son was out of the room, Nathan had his lips on hers. Not that she was complaining at all.

He smirked, pulling her closer to him, his hands carefully untucking her shirt from her skirt, pushing it up a bit, gently brushing his fingertips over the two-digit number on her lower back. There was something a little bit exciting about keeping their relationship a secret. It was proving a little more difficult than they thought, though. He constantly wanted to have his hand on some part of her, kiss her whenever he wanted. But it was for the best.

Haley felt the goosebumps on her skin, standing up on her toes a bit more to have more leverage on the man in front of her. His hands were sliding further up her shirt, and she knew that one of them had to stop soon. For one, their son was upstairs, and they were trying to take things slow.

With a small sigh, she rested her hands on his forearms, removing his hands from her skin, continuing to kiss him until his hands were at his side again, before she pulled back.

"No, no..." He said, shaking his head and kissing her again, closing his eyes, leaning into her.

"We have to stop." She said, chuckling quietly. "I can't have you messing up my clothes." She said, tucking her shirt in again, resting her hand on his chest. "Down, boy."

"Lunch?" He suggested, nodding at her slowly. "I'll bring you something." He said, reluctantly taking a small step away from her, taking a moment to freely look her over, a small smirk on his face.

Haley raised her eyebrows, chuckling quietly. "Take it all in, Scott." She said, patting his chest and shaking her head. She turned back to the sink, placing Jamie's plate in the dishwasher. "Do you want to go get me the rest of the dishes?"

"Mhm." Nathan hummed, pushing her hair to the side, kissing down her neck lightly, resting his hands on her waist. "I wish I could keep my hands off you long enough to do that for you."

"Nathan." She laughed, leaning back into him for a brief second. Being near him... Made her feel happier. It made her feel light, and free. "Lunch sounds great. But we'll be in my classroom, so remember that."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've made out in an English classroom." He said, laughing quietly when she pushed him softly.

"You crack me up, really. Despite the look on my face." She said, rolling her eyes and forcing the smile off her face.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, tickling her sides lightly. "Come on, Hales. I'm funny." He said, smirking at her.

Haley held back her laughter, biting her lip and shaking her head. "You... Aren't... Funny." She managed, before bursting into a loud laughter, covering her mouth. "Nathan, you need to keep your hands to yourself." She laughed, pushing his hands away.

"Alright, I'm done. I'll go get the dishes." He said, smiling at her, kissing her once more when she turned her head, before heading to the table, picking up the plates.

Jamie came barreling downstairs moments later, jumping up and wrapping his arms and legs around Nathan's legs, smirking slightly. "Can you come to kindergarten with me today?" He asked him, looking up at him.

Nathan chuckled, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Dude! You're like fifteen. I can't have you jumping all over me." He said, shaking his head, prying Jamie off of him and setting him down on the ground. "I can't go with you today, I'm sorry, buddy." He said, looking down at him. "I have to go look over some plays with Uncle Lucas. The Ravens need to be ready this season."

"And Uncle Skills?" Jamie questioned him, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan looked over at Haley, letting out a small sigh. "Maybe Uncle Skills will be there. I don't know." He said, handing Jamie the plates from the table. "Take these to your mom."

Jamie nodded his head, rushing over to Haley, handing them to her. "Here, Mama!" He hummed, looking over at Nathan. "Can we hang out after school?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course, buddy. But I have to leave tonight for another camp." He hummed, "Season is starting soon. Then I'm going to be gone. But I think you're getting old enough that maybe you can come to some away games with me." He said, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"Sweet!" Jamie said, nodding at Nathan. "Sounds like fun." He hummed, turning to Haley. "I get to hang out with the guys!"

"Oh, you lucky kid." Haley said, kissing the top of Jamie's head. "Stay humble, superstar." She said, pulling his backpack out of the closet. "Alright, Jimmy Jam. Let's get going to school. Say good bye to Dad." She said, picking up her purse.

Jamie ran over to Nathan, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "Bye! I'll see you after school." He said, looking up at him.

Nathan smiled, resting his hand on his son's head. "See you later." He said, looking up at Haley and nodding slowly.

Haley smiled at the two of them, letting out a deep breath. "Alright, Nathan. I really don't care how long you stay here, but make sure you lock the door when you leave." She said to him, setting a key on the counter, reaching out to grab Jamie's hand. "Come on, baby. Don't want to be late." She said, glancing down at her son, before casually setting her purse back down, making brief eye contact with Nathan, before walking into the garage with Jamie.

It hadn't even been two minutes when Haley walked back inside, calling to Jamie that she forgot her purse.

Nathan smirked slightly when she came rushing over to him, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. His arms slid around her waist, holding her close to him.

Haley hummed, looking up at him after a second, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "I'll see you at lunch. Bye, Nathan." She said, kissing him once more, before she was gone.

Nathan grinned, shaking his head and listening to her car leave. He looked around her empty house. He'd never really been here alone before. It was kind of weird, not either of them here. He'd never really taken the time to look around Haley's house. It was very, very neat. If he walked around, he was sure he wouldn't find a single spec of dust. The only mess, were some toys that Jamie had brought down to the living room from his room for them to play with for a few minutes this morning. Nathan let out a deep breath, walking over and picking them up, heading up the stairs to their son's room, pushing the door open, putting the toys away quickly. He stopped when he opened the closet, raising his eyebrows at the sight in front of him. In the back of the closet, there were drawings, some of Jamie and Haley, some of himself and Jamie, some of the three of them. There were also pictures. Their prom picture included, but also some pictures that Nathan hadn't seen in a long time. The pictures they'd taken of the three of them, and also a bunch of pictures of just himself and Haley. He picked up one, which was taken not long after they started dating. He'd never actually seen it before, but he knew it was when it was taken because he'd started growing out his hair after basketball season his senior year. It was shaggy and in his face in the picture. Haley had eventually talked him into cutting it though, after Lydia James had made some inappropriate comments about wanting to run her fingers through it. It made sense that the picture was probably a sneak attack from her, because it was a little bit blurry, almost like she had taken it quickly and put the camera away. Lydia had done that to them plenty of times. They looked like they were in another world. They probably were. They'd done that a lot, zoned out on each other. He had his arm around her shoulders, looking down at her while she stared up at him. He could tell just by looking at the picture, that they were in love. It hurt his heart to know that they'd lost their way for far too long, but gave him hope that they were back on track now. He wondered if Haley had ever seen the picture. Lydia had probably given a lot of these pictures to Jamie when he asked question after question. She was probably the only person that didn't get uncomfortable speaking openly about their relationship. She'd even scolded Nathan about it a few times after she'd unexpectedly dropped by his home, saying things like 'Your house wouldn't be this messy if you would've married my daughter' or 'You're really eating that for lunch? Haley could make something better than that.' He would simply just roll his eyes and smile, and quickly change the subject. He was sure that she'd be almost as thrilled as Jamie when they revealed their relationship.

After a moment of staring at the pictures, he stepped out of the closet, the picture still in his grasp. He headed down the hall, walking to what he knew to be Haley's office type room. He looked around until he found paper and an envelope, sitting down and writing a quick note to her, putting it in the envelope with the picture, sealing it and writing her name down on it.

He stepped out of the room, walking to her bedroom door. He debated going inside for a moment, before shaking his head. He wasn't going to tape it to the door, because if it ruined the paint, he'd never get to see the inside of her room. So instead, he balanced it on the door handle, leaning it up against the wood. Hopefully she wouldn't be home until later that night, after he'd left to Charlotte that night.

He smirked slightly, letting out a deep breath and walking down the stairs, picking up his jacket. He took a moment to study the key on the counter top, a small smirk on his face. She was really giving him a house key after one date. It meant more to him than any of the romantic gestures he'd receive from anyone else. It was subtle, but it was everything. He picked it up slowly, sliding it onto his key ring, pulling off his own house key, and setting it in it's place on the counter top. His smirk turned into a cheesy grin, before heading out of the house, locking it behind him.

xxxx

Nathan stepped into Haley's classroom, holding up a bag with take out boxes in it. "Hey." He hummed, nodding at her.

Haley looked up at him, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a deep breath, standing to her feet. "Hey." She responded, leaning against her desk.

He frowned, studying her appearance. "Everything okay?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She smiled at him, walking over and wrapping her arms around his neck briefly, kissing him for a moment. "Everything is great now." She said softly, nodding slowly.

He eyed her curiously. She didn't look nearly as cheery as she had earlier this morning. He could feel the nagging feeling, willing him to press the situation.

"Haley..." He trailed off, frowning at her.

She waved her hands, shaking her head. "I'm fine, baby. Don't worry about it. Have a seat." She said, sitting back down at her desk, gesturing for him to sit.

Nathan smirked slightly, sitting down. "Baby, hm?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. He'd get her to talk, but he wasn't going to force her into it.

Haley looked at him in confusion, thinking back to her words, before realization dawned on her. "What? Can I not call you that?" She asked him, chuckling quietly.

He shook his head quickly, "No, no. I like it." He said, smiling slightly, setting the food on her desk, opening it. "Mac and cheese. I know, you eat it a lot, but I figure it's always going to be a safe option." He hummed, setting a fork in front of her.

"Wow, I'm beginning to rethink this taking things slow thing." She joked, winking at him. "Thank you, Nathan. Really. This is sweet of you." She said, nodding at him.

"Anything for you." He said quietly, sending her a small smile. "In fact, I got myself Mac and cheese too. I feel like since Jamie likes it so much, and you like it so much... Maybe I should get there too." He chuckled, nodding at her.

Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "Now I'm really starting to reconsider." She joked, smirking at him. She cleared her throat after a second, "How was game planing with Luke?"

Nathan groaned, leaning his head back and letting out a deep sigh. "Skills showed up." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I didn't want to make a scene, so I didn't freak out or anything. All I could think about was all the times I joked with Jake and Lucas about how he was hiding his girl from us because he was worried I would steal her." He said, covering his face.

Haley covered her mouth, unable to hold back her laughter, "Nathan!" She laughed, shaking her head quickly. "That's terrible." She couldn't even imagine how he was feeling inside. She had a problem with Deb, for sure. Her biggest problem was Deb around her family. The fact that her and Skills were dating was... Very odd. But it didn't make her as angry as it made Nathan. Her biggest concern was her family, Nathan included in that. So if he was upset about this, she wasn't going to try and talk him out of it.

Nathan nodded, looking down at his food. "Is it too early to start drinking?" He asked her, shaking his head. "This is so messed up. My friend is dating my mom." He grumbled, letting out a deep breath.

She reached over, grabbing his hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I really am." She said, nodding at him. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Nathan looked at her, a small smirk on his face. There were a number of things going through his head, but his brain landed on one. "You can tell me what's going on with you."

She let out a deep breath, chuckling quietly. "I don't know about you still seeing through me, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. "It's just been a long day." She said simply, focusing her attention on her food.

Nathan chuckled, leaning forward a bit. "Hey. It's my job to be the closed off one. You're the one that opens up. That's how it's always been." He joked, shrugging. "What made it long?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"There's just this boy in one of my classes that I'm really struggling to get through to." She said softly, shaking her head. "I know, it's not my job to help everyone. I feel obligated." She looked at him, shrugging.

He looked at her, resting his elbow on her desk, leaning his chin in his palm. She had such a kind heart. Right now... He felt like the luckiest man in the world. Maybe it was crazy how quickly his feeling were developing for her again, maybe not. But he knew he was lucky to be in her presence. She was one of a kind.

"That's the kind of person you are, Hales. You have a thing for lost causes." He said, shrugging slightly. "What's he been doing?"

"He just won't listen to me. We haven't been in school that long, and he's already difficult. And he's making the rest of my class difficult too." She said, shaking her head. "Everything I've tried seems to be ineffective."

"What's his name?" Nathan asked her curiously, raising his eyebrows.

"Quentin Fields." Haley said, shrugging slightly. "He plays basketball. You might know him."

Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "Yeah. He's a smart ass." He said simply, rolling his eyes. "He thinks he's super amazing at basketball. So amazing that he doesn't need a team."

"Sounds like someone else I know." She said, nodding at him and shrugging. Maybe that was why she didn't want to give up on him. He reminded her a lot of Nathan in high school. She believed he had potential to be a good guy, just like Nathan had ended up.

He looked at her, shaking his head and smiling slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Tell Luke about this. He'll make him feel it." He said, sighing softly. "You don't deserve to be mistreated, by anyone." He informed her, smiling at her.

"Thank you." She said softly, smiling and letting out a deep breath. "I'm just hoping this isn't a foreshadow for the whole year."

"You're an awesome teacher, Hales. Don't worry too much. You can do anything you put your mind to." He hummed, kissing her hand softly. "Except maybe basketball. But we'll keep working on that."

"That's hopeless." She laughed, humming softly as she ate her food.

Nathan smiled at her, breaking into a comfortable silence.

xxxx

After Nathan had left, the rest of the day went by fairly smooth. Nathan had picked up Jamie from school, spending time with him until about six o'clock, since he had to leave to the airport. The two of them had shared a very, very brief kiss, making him promise to let her know once he arrived safely. She'd made Jamie dinner, helping him with the very little homework he had, then watching a movie with him. She'd carried him up to his room since he fell asleep, shaking his head. He was getting heavy.

After dropping Jamie off in his room, she went back down the stairs, noticing a silver key sitting on the counter top. Her heart stopped for a moment, picking it up, smiling slightly. She clutched the key to her chest. It was definitely a different key than the one she'd left there this morning. He was smooth. Exchanging house keys may not be considered slow. Especially after one date, but this wasn't a normal relationship.

She hummed softly, walking over to where her car keys hung, slipping it onto the key ring. She let out a deep breath, heading up the stairs and looking at her phone. She let out a deep breath. All she'd heard from his was a text that said 'landed. Call you later.' Maybe she was being paranoid, but not hearing from him worried her a little bit. Usually he would readily call Jamie, already missing him after the short time apart. But she was sure he was fine.

Haley hummed softly, beginning to shut off the lights upstairs, checking on Jamie once more before heading to her room. She raised her eyebrows at the envelope on the door knob, picking it up slowly. She usually would have changed after work, but she hadn't today. Raising her eyebrows, she stepped into her room, closing the door behind her, sitting down on the end of the bed, opening it slowly.

'Haley-

If you haven't guessed by the terrible handwriting, it's Nathan. I was snooping around your house a little bit. Well, putting away some things in Jamie's room and I found this. You might want to check out the shrine in his closet. I've never seen this picture before, and I'm sure we owe it to your mom. She sure is something. I feel like such a dork writing this. But I want to let you know how much I care about you, and how amazing I think you are. When I see you with Jamie... It's the best feeling in the world. You love him so much, and he loves you right back. I'm trying hard to impress you right now and not mess up my grammar. I think that you're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I really don't want to screw this up again. I know you said it was both of us, but I feel a lot of responsibility for the things I've done. I've never deserved you, Haley James. Not a day in my life. I probably never will. Plus, you're completely out of my league. Thank you so much for being a great mother to my son. You're the only reason I turned out to be a half decent guy, and the only reason that I'm the father I am today. Without you, I'd probably end up just like my parents. Thank you for keeping your head on straight so that you can keep mine on. I appreciate you. I'm so glad that we're giving this another shot. Probably return this picture to Jamie's closet once your done with it. He might notice. You're beautiful, and I care about you so much. I feel like we're headed in the right direction now. Thank you for taking such good care of me, and my son.

-Nathan Royal Scott, age 25'

She hadn't realized it, but she'd started crying. A part of her was scolding herself, and didn't know why. But the other half of her knew completely. She was falling for Nathan Scott again. He was an amazing guy. She laughed at the last part of his letter. Jamie signed his name like that whenever he wrote letter or notes to people. She looked down at the picture he'd left her, smiling and wiping at her eyes. They looked happy. The way he looked at her was always something that made her heart race. She'd caught him several times before they started dating many years ago, and she was beginning to catch him doing it again. She never realized how much she had actually missed the look of pure affection in his eyes.

Haley gently brushed her fingers over his face in the photo. They both looked a lot younger. It was hard to imagine what their life was like without Jamie. Despite all the heart ache, she felt like they were happier now. She would never trade Jamie for anything. But she had definitely missed Nathan, and she wasn't realizing it until recently because she hadn't allowed herself to think about it. Here he was, still making her heart race.

After staring at the picture for a little longer, she let out a deep breath, standing up slowly, finding some of Nathan's clothes to wear, a small smile on her face. She took a quick shower, before getting into her bed, grabbing her laptop off her nightstand. She picked her glasses up, setting them on her nose, video chatting Nathan.

It took a few rings before Nathan answered, a small smile on his face.

"Hey baby." He said, smiling at her.

"Who is that? Is that Kylie?" A voice asked from across the room.

She raised her eyebrows, looking at Nathan. "Who is that?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"It's Clay." He said, squeezing his eyes shut, mouthing 'Sorry' to her.

Clay fell onto the bed next to him, smiling. "It's just Haley. Hey Ha-" He stopped quickly, looking at the screen, then at Nathan. "Wait a second." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Get out." Nathan said, pointing to the door. "Don't be nosey." He said, shaking his head quickly.

"You said baby." Clay said, smirking. "You called her baby!" He said, pulling Nathan over to him. "You did it, buddy!" He said, grinning at him.

"Go home, Clay. Stay out of my house." Nathan responded, shaking his head. He hadn't even thought about his agent in the room when he'd greeted her.

"Relax, Nathan." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "Clay." She said, smiling slightly. "Please don't tell anyone, alright? We're trying to keep it quiet for a little while." She said, shrugging. "We don't want Jamie to know just yet."

Clay's grin grew, nodding at her. "Hey, whatever you want. What a relief that he was talking to you. Damn, I called it. Not to anyone or anything. But I called the two of you getting back together." He hummed, giving her a thumbs up. "Oh, hey. Real quick. Does this mean I can date your sister now?"

"Taylor isn't really the dating type." Haley said, clearing her throat and frowning.

"No, I meant Quinn." Clay said, shrugging. "You think about it. Remember, it could be worse. I could be dating your mom." He hummed, standing up quickly before Nathan could hit him. "Bye, Natey. I'm going home. Love you to the moon and back. Bye Hales." He said, waving and heading out of the room quickly.

"I hate him." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head and looking at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. He won't tell anyone, I promise." He said, letting out a small sigh.

Haley smiled at him, shaking ear head. "It's alright, Nathan." She said, waving her hand. "Don't worry about it." She said softly, leaning back against the headboard. "Do you think he really wants to date Quinn? How does he even know Quinn?"

"Hales, sometimes people in your family come to my games." He chuckled, shrugging and shaking his head. "I make sure that we take them to dinner after." He said, yawning.

Haley raised her eyebrows. No one had ever mentioned this to her before. Of course she knew that Nathan kept in touch with her parents, but she was unaware that he still had contact with her siblings. Her brothers had said many times that if they were ever around Nathan without Jamie there, they'd knock him around for the 'things he did to her.'

"They do?" She asked him, blinking quickly.

"Yeah. Usually it's awkward with Taylor because she brings a date with her and Clay and I bail early because they're making out in the middle of the restaurant." He chuckled, rubbing his neck. He took a moment to stare at her through the screen. "You look super sexy right now." He informed her, smirking slightly. He didn't know if he'd ever get tired of telling her how good she looked.

She smiled at his comment, shaking her head. "I didn't know that you talked to my whole family." She said to him after a moment.

"Yeah, sometimes." He said simply, shrugging slightly. "Does that bother you?" He asked, frowning.

"No, no." She said, shaking her head. "They just never mentioned it." She said, rubbing her neck.

"When I get back, I'm setting you up on Instagram, Hales. You'd know this stuff." He laughed, smirking at her. "You're more technology challenged than Lucas." He said, shaking his head.

"Shut up!" She laughed, crossing her arms. "I take pride in that. I like the old school way of doing things." She said, shrugging. "Except this. I can already tell this video chatting thing is going to be better than phone calls."

Nathan grinned at her, "I miss you and Jamie already." He said, sighing softly.

"I got your little note. It was cute." She hummed, nodding at him. "I've never seen that picture."

"Me either." He responded, clearing his throat and shifting slightly. "Hopefully Jamie doesn't notice it's missing, then he'll know I went snooping around his room."

"He'll find it in my room and blame it on me." She reminded him, shaking her head and laughing.

"Good point." He responded, smiling at her. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Jamie and I mostly just relaxed." She hummed, tapping her fingers on the side of her laptop screen. "How was your flight?"

"There was a mix up so I ended up flying coach. Which usually isn't bad, but I got stuck in a middle seat." He said, shaking his head. "In between some drunk guy that wouldn't stop falling asleep on me, and a diehard Spurs fan that wouldn't stop telling me the Hornets sucked." He chuckled. "Good thing it's not that long of a flight."

She smiled at him, laughing quietly. "That sounds horrible. If it makes you feel better, I couldn't even tell you where the Spurs are from." She said simply, shrugging.

"I'm not sure if that helps me, or makes me feel like both Lucas and I have failed you." He said, smirking at her.

"Mm, just blame it on Lucas. That's what I always do." She laughed, winking at him.

Nathan grinned at her, "That sounds like a good idea." He hummed, leaning back. "You look beautiful." He informed her again. "Wearing my shirt."

"You should see how it looks off of me." She said, tracing her tongue over her bottom lip.

"Oh, come on." He groaned, shaking his head and leaning back. "Don't mess with me, Haley James."

Haley laughed, blowing him a kiss. "I was offering, but I see that you aren't accepting." She hummed, adjusting the glasses on her face.

"Don't be a tease." He said, rubbing his eyes. "Let's try this again. I'm going to tell you how good you look, and you're going to say thank you. If you want, you can tell me how sexy I look too." He said, laughing and smirking at her.

"I think I understand." She laughed, crossing her arms and looking at his picture on the screen. He looked a little tired, so she was probably going to need to let him go soon, otherwise they'd stay up all night talking most likely.

"Wow, you look absolutely stunning. You're the most beautiful woman in the whole universe." He said, grinning at her.

She smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Thank you. You're a solid seven." She teased him. Obviously, she was joking. Nathan Scott was way more than a seven, even he knew that.

Nathan pouted, shaking his head. "Hey, I'm going to tell my agent on you. He doesn't like when people try to lower my self confidence. When I'm done with basketball, he wants to be my agent still so I need to look into modeling." He said, smirking at her.

"Maybe you should tell your possible step-father on me while you're at it." Haley said, shrugging and sticking out her tongue.

Nathan's jaw dropped, and he raised his eyebrows. "Not funny, at all." He grumbled, shaking his head quickly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She laughed, "It's really not." She responded, looking at him. "Does it help if I tell you that you look very handsome and that you're way better than a seven?"

"A little." He replied, yawning quietly and rubbing his eyes. "It would be better if you took your shirt off- my shirt off."

She rolled her eyes, studying him for a moment. "I'll give you three seconds, alright? Then I'm hanging up because you need to go to bed, and I need to be wearing a shirt in case our son comes into my room." She said, laughing. "So say your goodbyes now, Scott. And before you start freaking out, I'm wearing a bra."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, blinking. He had not expected her to agree, that's for sure.

"This doesn't count as moving too fast?" He asked her.

"Not any faster than us exchanging house keys." She responded, nodding at him. "Come on, you look tired."

"I don't want to stop talking." He frowned at her, shaking his head.

"I have to go to work, and I can't be falling asleep because I don't want my students to be falling asleep. You don't want to fall asleep at practice either. I'll call you tomorrow, though." Haley said, sitting up straighter.

"Alright, alright. I'll call you and Jamie tomorrow. I can't wait to come home." He hummed, looking at the screen. "Sleep well."

Haley smiled at him, "You too, Natey." She said, winking at him. Apparently slow to them was close to sprinting for other people.

"Don't call me that, please." He groaned, covering his face. "I hate, hate that." He grumbled.

"I'm sorry." She laughed, pushing her laptop further down her legs. "Don't give me a reputation for doing this, Scott. This is specifically for you. I don't do this in the first few days of dating, usually."

"Yeah, yeah. I know you, Hales." He said, crossing his arms. "I could even the odds, if you'd like."

"I like the sound of that. Shirt off, chop chop." She said, clapping her hands and smirking.

Nathan laughed, pulling his t-shirt over his head quickly, tossing it to the side. "Here you are." He said, gesturing down at his torso.

"Still as sexy as ever, I see." She hummed, smiling at him. "Well, goodnight."

"Hey, hey. We had a deal, Ms. James." He said, shaking his head quickly. "I get three seconds. I'll say goodnight now. Goodnight, you ridiculously beautiful woman."

"Goodnight, Nathan." Haley laughed, grabbing the hem of her shirt, looking at him. She suddenly felt a little hesitant and nervous. She didn't know why, since Nathan was staring at her like it was Christmas morning. She shouldn't be nervous.

It didn't take Nathan long to figure out what was going on. He cleared his throat, smiling at her.

"I'm only messing with you, Hales. You don't need to do anything." He assured her, shaking his head. "I really loved talking to you though."

Haley smiled at him. He was a good guy. For some reason, his words gave her all the assurance she needed. She removed her glasses, setting them on the night stand. She slowly pulled her shirt over her head, waving at him. "I miss you, Nathan. Goodnight, handsome." She hummed, before ending the call.

Nathan smirked slightly, closing his laptop. Haley James was one amazing human being.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter is pretty much entirely fluff.**

 **Chapter 17**

Haley's head snapped up at the noise of something hitting her window. She rubbed her eyes slowly, frowning and turning on the lamp next to her bed, slowly standing up, rubbing her arms slowly. She bit down on her lip. Okay, this was a little bit spooky. She watched her window, raising her eyebrows when she saw pebbles hitting it, smiling slightly.

She walked over to the window, looking down and seeing Nathan waving up at her. She rolled her eyes, opening the window quickly.

"Nathan Scott, what are you doing home? You weren't supposed to be home until tomorrow." She pointed out, waving down at him.

"I missed you." Nathan responded, grinning up at her. He had not seen her or Jamie for four days, but it felt like a lifetime.

"We missed you too. What are you doing throwing rocks at my window when you have a key to my house?" She questioned him, laughing.

"This felt more nostalgic." He informed her, shrugging slightly. "Can I come in?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley felt her heart flutter at the memory of him constantly doing this during high school. She nodded down at him, gesturing for him to come up. "But probably come through the front door." She chuckled, shutting the window when she watched him rush away.

Haley hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth and tame out her hair, before rushing down the stairs to meet him.

She saw him standing in the kitchen, already looking through her fridge. She laughed quietly, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his back, squeezing him tightly.

Nathan grinned, looking over his shoulder. "Hey beautiful." He hummed, turning around in her arms, pulling her closer to him, kicking the fridge shut.

Haley stood on her toes, kissing him deeply, gripping his t-shirt tightly.

Nathan's hands moved up to rest on her cheeks, pulling her face closer to his, letting his hands tangle in her hair.

"I missed you a lot." She said, pulling away for a brief moment, before kissing him again.

He grinned against her lips, moving his hands so they were rested on her hips, lifting her up onto the counter top.

Haley laughed, before pulling back and covering her mouth. "Shh." She said, shaking her head. "I don't want to wake up Jamie. Don't make me laugh."

"I didn't do anything." He said, hooking her leg around his waist. "But trust me, baby. I can make you do so much more than laugh." He said, kissing down her neck slowly.

Haley's eyes fluttered shut, her hand moving to Nathan's hair, pushing his head further into her neck, letting out a deep breath. He was really getting to her, and most likely knew it.

"It's been so difficult for me not being able to reach across my damn laptop screen and pull you to me and kiss you." He chuckled, wrapping her other leg around his waist as well, slowly smoothing his hand over her pajama covered leg, a small smirk on his face.

She could feel herself getting weaker and weaker with every touch and every word he said. Damn Nathan Scott and his irresistible charm.

"We should probably slow down a bit, hm? I know you can't resist me." He said, tugging on the shirt she was wearing.

"Very funny." She said, pulling him closer to her, kissing him again. There was so much truth to his words, but she wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing that.

Nathan smirked, pulling her closer to him, letting his eyes shut slowly. The girl in front of him was amazing. Amazing mom, amazing teacher, amazing in general. He'd sit and gladly kiss her forever if that's all she wanted, though thankfully he already knew that wasn't true. They'd been on one date, technically, and she was already driving him crazy. Her hands were dipped under his shirt collar, with her fingernails lightly scratching along the skin on his upper back. His body was quickly reacting to everything she did, and if they didn't stop soon, they probably wouldn't stop at all.

Haley pulled back after a moment of kissing, smoothing her hand over Nathan's chest, letting out a deep breath. "I would say that I would have liked it if you just snuck into my bed with me, but that's probably not entirely true. I probably would have freaked out." She laughed, tugging him closer to her.

"I thought about it, believe me. But then I decided that maybe you'd like it more if I gave you a little bit of nostalgia." He hummed, kissing her once more.

"Mm, it almost felt like high school when my annoying friend wouldn't leave me alone." She said, rubbing her hands over his shoulders. "You didn't just come from your girlfriend's house, did you?"

"Of course not. She's out of town. I'll all yours." He said, winking at her and pulling her closer to him.

"Very funny." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and laughing. "I have to say that I do like this surprise." She hummed, kissing his forehead and slowly hopping off the counter, her hand coming to rest on his stomach. "Why don't you accompany me up to my bedroom, hm?" She said, standing on her toes and pressing a light kiss to his lips.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking down at her. He was suddenly feeling a little nervous, enough so that he removed his hands from her since his palms were beginning to sweat. "Haley, that's not why I came here-"

"Down boy." She said, grabbing his hands again, holding one of them to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "That's not what I'm saying." She chuckled, "I just want you to spend the night. If you'd rather go home, than go home. But I would love it if you'd join me."

He nodded at her, smirking slightly. "Oh, absolutely." He said, kissing her briefly. "Let me go out to my car and get my stuff." He hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"Alright. You can... Meet me upstairs." She hummed. "You can go ahead and stop at the fridge as eat whatever you want as well." She said, chuckling quietly.

"You are so sexy right now." He said, winking at her and heading outside.

Haley laughed, shaking her head and walking back up the stairs, making sure to check on Jamie to ensure that he was still asleep, before walking to her room, humming softly. She let out a deep breath, glancing around the room. Nothing was going to happen. But the fact that Nathan was going to spend the night gave her butterflies. They had not spent the night in the same bed, just the two of them, in a long time.

She looked over at the clock, yawning and rubbing her eyes. It was nearing three in the morning. Leave it to Nathan to storm her house in the middle of the night, eat all her food and sleep in her bed. She couldn't even pretend to be mad though.

She was settled in her bed when Nathan knocked on the door, before stepping into her room, a small smirk on his face.

"Stop it." She laughed, shaking her head. "Don't look so smug."

"I can't help it. I'm in Haley James' bedroom." He said, looking around. "If her shadow knew I was in here, I'd be dead."

"I was his shadow." She responded, shaking her head. "If people knew that I had Nathan Scott in my room, all of your shadows would be after me."

"I don't like this game anymore." He chuckled, taking a seat on the edge of her bed, setting a plate with a sandwich down on the nightstand.

"You can get ready for bed in the bathroom." She informed him, looking at him and biting her lip.

Nathan nodded, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, before heading into the bathroom.

It didn't take long for him to come strolling out of the bathroom, shirtless with a pair of black basketball shorts low on his hips, the same smug smirk on his face.

Haley would have rolled her eyes, if she wasn't so busy checking him out. Stupid Nathan. He knew how hot he was, and he had no problem showing it off.

He sat down on her bed, leaning back against the headboard and stretching his legs out, picking up his sandwich, glancing over at her. "What?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley shook her head, resting her hand on his cheek and kissing him briefly. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about how this could be the last night you spend over here if you get crumbs in my bed." She teased him, kissing his cheek softly.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "You're the same person that you've always been. I wouldn't ever get crumbs in your bed." He informed her, leaning over and kissing her forehead. He began to eat, looking over at her. "For some reason your food tastes way better than any food that's ever been at my house."

"That's because I don't go out of town for weeks then come home and expect everything to taste the same." She laughed, subtly sliding closer to him, resting her hand on his bicep.

Nathan smiled at her, kissing her head. "Well, I haven't even gone home yet. So it's a week and counting." He chuckled, looking down at her.

"Really? You came straight here?" She questioned him, squeezing his arm lightly.

"I had to. I missed you." He informed her, humming softly.

Haley smiled, shaking her head. "You are something special." She said, letting out a deep breath, trailing her eyes over his torso.

Nathan smirked at her, raising his eyebrows. "What are you staring at?" He questioned her.

"Nothing." She responded quietly, meeting his gaze, her cheeks turning slightly red.

"Just admit it, Haley James." He said, setting his plate to the side. "You think I'm sexy."

"Mhm." She laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "You're too full of it."

Nathan stood up, stretching his arms above his head, yawning quietly. "I'll be right back. Don't fall asleep while I'm gone." He hummed, walking into the bathroom.

He walked out shortly after, a tooth brush hanging out of his mouth. He picked up the plate off the nightstand, walking out of the room quietly.

Haley watched him, letting out a deep breath. Maybe she should just lock the door and kick him out. At least he was taking his plate downstairs instead of leaving it there for her to clean up in the morning. She let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair, lifting up the covers on her bed and climbing under them. Her heart was racing right now. Nathan was going to sleep in her bed. With her. This was completely different than having Jamie squished in between the two of them. This was them falling asleep together, and waking up with each other. How the hell was she supposed to sleep with all the butterflies in her stomach?

Nathan walked back in, heading into the bathroom once more, returning toothbrushless, and climbing into bed next to her, leaning back against the headboard and looking down at her.

"You're beautiful." He informed her, smiling brightly.

Haley sat up again, scooting over to him, resting her hand on his chest, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, I admit it. You're pretty sexy." She said, letting her hand roam over his torso.

He smirked down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him. "Thank you." He chuckled, resting his forehead on hers.

She slid her hand up to his cheek, kissing him softly, letting her eyes flutter shut, pulling him closer to her.

Nathan smiled against her mouth, his hand moving to rest on her side, kissing her deeper.

She couldn't help but let herself fall into the kiss, shifting herself so she was straddling his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, one arm around her waist, while the other was hooked under her arm, gripping her shoulder. He held her against him, shifting slightly underneath her.

Haley hummed softly, tangling her fingers in his hair. This was crazy. They'd only been on one date. Yet here they were. It felt right, being here with him. She would have no problem being with him every night.

He pulled back after awhile, letting out a deep breath and smirking at her. "Well, I wasn't expecting that." He said, winking at her.

"Mm... Maybe you should start sleeping with a shirt on." She said, trailing her hands down his chest.

"So you're saying this is going to start happening more often?" He questioned her, kissing her forehead.

"Mm... Maybe." She hummed, running her fingers through his hair. "I do know that if you stayed here, it would be easier than you waking me up every night." She said, shrugging.

"Sorry about that." He chuckled, kissing her briefly. "Not that sorry, though. Because look at where we are right now."

She shook her head, laughing and climbing out of his lap, sitting down next to him, cuddling into his side.

He held her close to him, closing his eyes. "I'm so grateful for you, Haley James. You've taught me so much in my life. I'm glad you're giving me another chance." He said softly.

Haley smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his jaw, resting her head on his shoulder. "It helps that you're hot." She said, laughing.

"I'm serious." He laughed, shaking his head. "Thank you." He hummed, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry for waking you up. Go to sleep, Hales." He chuckled, looking down at her.

She let out a deep breath, "I forgive you." She hummed, laying back against her pillow, watching Nathan shift so he was laying down next to her. She laid on her side, scooting closer to him and resting her head on his chest, throwing her leg over his.

Nathan chuckled, wrapping his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "Go ahead, make yourself comfortable."

Haley smiled at him, kissing his chest and closing her eyes. "I'll do whatever I want in my bed, Nathan Scott."

"My apologies, Haley James." He laughed, pulling her closer to him. "So what's the game plan going to be in the morning?"

She stayed silent for a moment, shrugging slightly. "You know, why don't we just figure that out in the morning?"

Nathan looked down at her, nodding his head. "Alright. That works." He said simply, smiling at her. "Sleep well, Hales. I can't wait to wake up next to you. Try not to jump me in the morning, with my sexy morning voice and all. I know you can't resist me."

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I'll do my best."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Haley James!"

Haley snapped up at the sound of Brooke Davis' voice ringing throughout her house. She looked down at Nathan, shaking him quickly.

"Nathan." She whispered, shoving him softly, letting out a deep breath. Brooke Davis was the type of person that would walk into her room in the morning and fall down on the bed next to her. She had locked the door last night, but that definitely wasn't going to help. As much as she loved her friend, she most definitely didn't want to be stuck in this situation right now.

Nathan shook his head, wrapping his arms tighter around her, pulling her closer to him. "No, Haley." He grumbled, practically moving so he was lying on top of her, his weight holding her down.

She would have laughed, but she could hear Brooke's heels clicking up the stairs, and despite how much she was enjoying being this close to Nathan, it was time to get up. She pushed on Nathan's shoulders lightly, "Nate, go get in the shower. She's taking Jamie to breakfast."

Nathan grumbled quietly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Dammit, Haley." He said, sighing softly, standing up slowly. "Fine, but get her out of here quick. I want Jamie back here as soon as possible. I missed him."

Haley nodded her head, standing up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Hey, it was nice waking up next to you." She said softly, trailing her hand down his chest.

Nathan smirked at her, picking up his duffle bag off the ground, stepping into the bathroom. "What are you going to tell her about the shower?"

"That I was just about to get in." She said simply, shrugging slightly.

"What about my-" He was cut off by Haley kissing him once more, shoving him into the bathroom. "Turn it on, now." She said, letting out a deep breath and closing the door, relaxing a bit when the shower turned on.

Brooke knocked on her door loudly, jiggling the door handle a bit. "Haley, you were supposed to have my boy up and ready by now." She said from the other side of the door.

Haley laughed quietly, glancing towards the bathroom, walking to her bedroom door and pulling it open, watching as Brooke stepped inside, walking to her bed and falling face down.

"Sorry, I was just about to get into the shower." Haley said softly, sitting down on the end of the bed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Oh, you can go ahead." Brooke said, lifting up her head and waving her hand.

"No, that's alright." Haley responded, looking at Brooke and laughing. "What's wrong, Brooke?"

"Nothing, ugh. My mother is a bitch. I need to go to breakfast with Jamie." Brooke grumbled, sitting up and looking at her. "You broke up with Jesse."

"It's not a big deal." Haley said, shaking her head. "Technically, he broke up with me." She said simply, rubbing her neck.

"Haley, is this about Nathan?" Brooke asked her, frowning. "I love Nathan, I do. He's a great guy. But I never want to see you hurting the way that I saw you hurting after you guys broke up."

"It's about Jamie, Brooke. I'm just trying to do what's best for him." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. It was partially true. Jamie had not known Jesse that well, but he didn't really care to meet him. He idolized Nathan, so any other man was practically irrelevant to him.

"Okay, if that's your story." Brooke said simply, standing up. "You can go shower, I'm going to go wake up Jamie. I won't leave until you're out."

"I can shower after you leave, it's no trouble." Haley said, shaking her head and standing up.

"Okay..." Brooke trailed off, raising her eyebrows and standing up as well. "Hey, what was Nathan's car doing in your driveway?"

Haley bit her lip. They were a week into their relationship, and it was already getting messy. She really hated lying to Brooke, but didn't want to say anything about her and Nathan until she was certain it was going to be a long-term thing. Especially since Brooke didn't particularly want to see her and Nathan together again.

"My car was having some issues, and Nathan said I could borrow his until I had time to get it looked at." Haley said slowly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh. I can call Luke and have him come look at it, if you'd like. Or you could've." Brooke said, blinking at her and raising her eyebrows.

"I'll call him later today." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "Let's go wake up Jamie."

"Aren't you going to go turn off that shower?" Brooke asked her, nodding towards the bathroom door.

"Mm... No, that's alright." Haley responded, "This should be quick."

Brooke eyed Haley for a second, shaking her head. "Alright, let's go get that little munchkin. I'm in desperate need of a James Lucas Scott breakfast." She chuckled, before following Haley out of the room.

Haley glanced at the bathroom door once again, letting out a small sigh and following her out.

It didn't take long for Brooke to leave, but it seemed like it took hours. Nathan laid on her bed and waited, rather impatiently. He tried to text her, but she'd left her phone on her nightstand, so instead, he just picked it up, guessing the pass code quickly. Jamie's birthday. Okay, he was snooping. But if he thought Haley would be angry about it, he wouldn't do it. The first thing he did, was program his thumbprint into her phone, a small smirk on his face. He opened the camera up, taking one picture of himself on her phone, flexing his bicep. He glanced at the door, beginning to look through all the pictures on her phone. Most of them were of Jamie. Practically all of them were pictures of Jamie. Jamie riding his bike, Jamie playing on the swings, basically she had pictures of Jamie doing just about anything. There were a few pictures of Lucas, or her and Brooke, some with Peyton in them. He chuckled quietly when he swiped onto a picture of Jamie when he was just a bit younger, with food all over his face and hands, before a wave of sadness rushed over him.

He had not been there for half of these photos. He felt his heart constrict at the thought. He missed his son so damn much when he was on the road, and the thought of Jamie growing up without him, hurt quite a bit.

Haley stepped into the room, to find Nathan laying on her bed, wearing practically the same thing he was before, except with different colored basketball shorts. And of course, he was snooping through her phone, no surprise to her. She watched him for a moment from the doorway, he had yet to notice her there. A small smirk formed on her face as an idea popped into her head.

She walked forward, climbing onto the bed, beginning to crawl up his body, pressing a light kiss to his stomach, just above the waistband of his shorts, before starting to kiss up his stomach and chest slowly.

Nathan froze, staring down at her with wide eyes, letting his arm drop to the side, setting her phone down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" He asked her curiously, raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat. He could feel his heart start to thump in his chest.

Haley glanced up at him, making eye contact for a brief second, raising once and and lightly scratching her fingernails down his side. She kissed up the center of his chest, stopping for a moment and lifting up her head with raised eyebrows.

"Did you use my body wash?" She asked him, holding back her laughter.

"It smelled nice." He said, shrugging his shoulders, a small smirk on his face. "Go back to doing what you were doing."

She laughed, kissing along his collarbone, sucking on his skin lightly, lifting her head up and smirking slightly at the mark she'd left on his skin. She slowly began to kiss up his neck, and along his jaw, before beginning to press kisses all over his face, cheeks, forehead, nose. She finally ended up at his lips, pulling him into a passionate kiss, gripping his side lightly, digging her fingernails into his skin.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, pulling her weight down on top of him completely, his eyes fluttering shut. Haley James was so good.

Haley slid one of her hands into his damp hair, tangling her fingers in it, letting herself relax against him.

It didn't take long for her to pull away though, much to Nathan's dismay.

"You think you can just waltz in here in the middle of the night like you own the place, flaunting off your body, eating in my bed? Staying the night, then using my body wash and looking through my phone?" Haley asked him, looking down at him and shaking her head. "What gives you the right?"

"Mm... Hales, in case you haven't noticed, I do whatever I want." He said, smirking at her and shrugging slightly.

"I have noticed." She responded, kissing his jaw once more. "You're just too sexy for your own good. I could just have you for breakfast every day."

Nathan grinned at her, kissing her once more, then laying his head down on the bed. "Hey, you can have your way with me anytime, Haley James."

"Mhm." Haley laughed, tracing her finger down his chest, taking a moment to listen to the shower, which was still running, before standing up to her feet. "I'm going to go shower. If all my hot water is gone, I'm going to your house. Put some clothes on, Nathan. People have a track record of showing up to my house unannounced." She hummed, gathering up some clothes and heading into the bathroom. Within seconds, she had emerged from the bathroom again, throwing a wet towel at him. "My towels do not get left on the floor, Nathan Scott. You do whatever you want at your house, but at my house, we hang them up or put them in the laundry." She scolded him, shaking her head and walking into the bathroom once again.

Nathan laughed loudly, shaking his head. "You're even sexy when you're yelling at me!" He called after her, tossing the towel towards her laundry hamper, grinning and rolling over onto his stomach, pressing his face into one of the pillows, closing his eyes. It didn't take long for him to drift back into sleep.

Haley stepped out of the bathroom again a short while later, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She sat down next to him on her bed, picking up her laptop, putting on her glasses, beginning to read through some of the papers she'd made her students email to her about their summers, while one hand lightly rubbed over his back soothingly, a small smile on her face. Really, she could stay here like this all day. This seemed perfect. She glanced over to admire the muscles in his back, humming softly and shifting her gaze back to the computer, continuing to rub his back, her smile growing when she heard Nathan begin to snore. He was so cute, whether he liked being referred to as cute or not.

About an hour later, Nathan woke up to Haley tapping her fingers on his back, leaning down and kissing his ear lightly. "Hey." She said softly, setting a plate of pancakes down on the nightstand next to him. She smiled at him, letting out a deep breath. "I made you some breakfast, since you love eating at my house so much."

Nathan chuckled quietly, pressing his face into the pillow under his head, reaching out and grabbing her hand, tugging on it softly. "I didn't mean to fall back asleep." He mumbled.

Haley ran her fingers through his hair, climbing over him and laying on her side, facing him, propping her head up. "Don't worry about it. I got some work done. But I did tell Brooke that you would be home around ten, and she promised that she'd have him back by then. It's almost nine." She informed him, kissing his cheek.

"I'll get up." Nathan said slowly, rolling onto his back and sitting up, stretching his arms above his head. "Thank you so much. For the food. Oh, and for letting me crash here last night." He said, winking at her and picking up the plate, setting it in his lap.

She smiled at him, nodding her head. She took the fork from his hand, taking a bite of his good and winking at him. "Really, I brought it for us to share." She sitting up next to him.

Nathan smiled at her, kissing her forehead softly. "Thanks again." He said quietly, nodding at her. "I'll get up and get ready once I'm done eating."

She nodded at him, resting her head on his shoulder for a minute, letting her hand brush over his stomach, smiling at him.

"You branded me." He pointed out, nodding down at his chest. "You gave me a hickey."

"You branded me when I was eighteen." She reminded him, turning slightly and lifting up her shirt a bit.

His breath hitched in his throat, his eyes trailing down her back to the tattoo there. "Technically, you did that on your own. But I'll take credit." He said softly.

Haley chuckled, kissing his cheek lightly. "I wish that I could stay here with you all day, Nathan." She said softly, gently tracing the defined muscles in his stomach. "Maybe because you're shirtless. If you actually put some clothes on, then I'd probably feel different." She teased him.

"If I took off more, would you actually do it?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"Then I'd probably kick you out." She said, taking another bite of his food.

"Damn. There's nothing I can do to make you stay?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, looking down at her.

"Unfortunately not." She said, smoothing out his hair. "One day, though. I just know how much Jamie missed you, so I feel guilty shipping him off for the whole day."

"I did miss him too." He said, letting out a small sigh. "I missed him a lot." He mumbled, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "I wish I could be here more."

Haley frowned, kissing his cheek and letting out a deep breath. "He understands, you know that, right? He loves that you play basketball. He looks up to you so much, Nathan. Admired everything you do. You're his hero. He misses you, but he loves it." She said softly, resting her hand on his cheek, making Nathan look at her. They had not discussed them moving to Charlotte since the night of Jamie's accident, but guilt flashed over her at the dull look in Nathan's eyes. She knew how much he missed Jamie. It would most likely be easier for both of them if they did just move to Charlotte. But selfishly, she didn't want to. Jamie had been raised by herself and Nathan his whole life, but he'd also had Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, Jake, Skills, and so many others there to help for most of it. Haley leaned on them for support if she couldn't pick up Jamie from school, or take him to the park, or if she was feeling overwhelmed and just needed some help. They wouldn't be there if she moved to Charlotte. But Nathan would be there more often. He could come home to Jamie, rather than a quiet, empty house. He still wouldn't be able to do as many of the little things that she'd depended on other people to help her with, but he'd get to do some. Tree Hill was home, and she loved it here. But was it enough for Jamie? Would Jamie even want to move to Charlotte?

Nathan cleared his throat to bring her out of her thoughts, kissing her forehead. "Where's your head?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"You just make me so relaxed that I lost touch on reality for a little while." Haley hummed, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone.

He smiled at her, standing up slowly, setting the nearly empty plate down on the counter. "I'm going to get dressed." He announced, picking up his duffle bag, walking into her bathroom.

Haley bit down on the tip of her thumb lightly, letting out a deep breath. Nathan probably wouldn't bring up the idea of moving to Charlotte for awhile, if he ever did again. Honestly, just thinking about their argument gave her a little bit of anxiety because of what the outcome had been with their son. It terrified her to think about. He was so small and precious, she never wanted anything to happen to him. Some nights she'd still bring Jamie into her bed with her and hold him close, trying to protect him from everything bad that could happen in the world. Nathan deserved to be able to do the same. It was like one big argument was happening within herself. As much as she didn't want to move, the more she thought about it, the more it became a possibility. Their relationship was developing so quickly, and she really wouldn't mind having Nathan closer to her at all times. As much as she loved Clay, he loved to party. And he liked to drag Nathan along with him. So she definitely wouldn't mind keeping Nathan under a watchful eye.

Nathan stepping from the bathroom and sitting down on the bed brought him out of his thoughts.

He looked over his shoulder at her, smiling slightly. "You look beautiful today."

"Thank you." Haley said softly, scooting up behind him, kissing his shoulder through his shirt, resting her head on his back.

"Aren't you going to tell me that I look beautiful today?" He questioned her, smirking slightly.

"You look absolutely gorgeous today, Nathan Scott." She laughed, wrapping her arms around him from behind, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt.

"Thank you." He chuckled, closing his eyes and standing up after a second, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. "Come on, babe. I don't think we'll be able to explain why I'm in your bedroom if Brooke shows up."

Haley nodded, smiling at him and following him out of the room.

xxxx

"You know, you could quit your job and I could be your sugar daddy." Nathan said randomly, keeping his gaze on Jamie as he went down a slide.

Haley looked over at him, blinking and raising her eyebrows. "Excuse me?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"You could follow me around, home schooling Jamie. It's perfect." He joked, glancing over at her, casually placing his arm on the bench behind her.

She laughed, rolling her eyes slightly. "I wouldn't be opposed to you buying me everything, Nathan. But I don't like airplanes all that much."

"Damn." He laughed, looking at her and letting out a deep breath. "I want to kiss you right now." He whispered, smirking slightly at her.

Haley looked over at Jamie, smiling slightly. "The feeling is mutual." She said softly, crossing her arms and sitting up a bit straighter, resting back against his arm for a moment.

He smirked at her, "You're so sexy." He whispered to her, his fingers lightly rubbing over her shoulder for a brief second, before he removed his arm from around her.

She kinked one eyebrow, looking over at him and shaking her head. "Watch it, Scott." She said softly.

"I just keep thinking about last night. How nice it felt to have you in my arms. How you couldn't keep your hands off of me." He said, smirking at her.

"Nathan, knock it off." She said. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to make her blush and squirm. It wasn't going to work.

"I want you so badly. It's not fair that you're holding out on me. I know that you felt how-"

Haley held up her hand, her cheeks bright red. That was quick. "Okay, Nathan." She said, shaking her head and patting his shoulder. "Not now."

Nathan laughed, smirking slightly at her. "Gotcha." He said, shrugging his shoulders and looking over at Jamie, his smirk turning into a small smile.

She watched him, casually scooting a little bit closer to him, pretending to show him something on her phone, her knee brushing up against his.

He chuckled, crossing his arms. "You're kind of cute, Haley James. And you made an adorable kid."

"You're so sexy when you say words like 'cute' and 'adorable.' Definitely not the words I'd expect to hear from a big, strong basketball player's mouth." She teased him, smirking slightly.

"Well, it's true." He said, glancing around and frowning when he saw a black SUV pull up at the park, and some people with cameras starting to step out. "Time to go." He said softly, standing up quickly.

Haley followed his gaze, raising her eyebrows. "Dammit." She said, standing up, shifting her purse on her shoulder. She felt Nathan wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close to him in an attempt to shield her face a bit, which was not uncommon in this situation. Of course, people had seen her face, and Jamie's face, but they tried not to expose Jamie to it too much. There had probably already been pictures snapped of them today, but when people were following them around with cameras flashing in their faces, that's when it became a problem.

Nathan quickly ushered them over, scooping up Jamie off the slide. "Hey buddy, let's get going. We can go to mom's house and eat all her ice cream. And then tomorrow we can go to the store and buy me some more food because I'm home all next week." He chuckled, smiling down at the two people in each of his arms, pulling them in close to him.

Jamie looked over at Haley, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head quickly. "Can we?" He questioned her.

"I'm used to you two eating all my food, so why do you even ask?" She teased him, tapping his nose and kissing his forehead. "Come on, let's go."

xxxx

Nathan grabbed Haley as Jamie rushed out of the room, claiming at he was going to get a toy, setting his ice cream bowl on the coffee table. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before he kissed her deeply, but carefully. Careful not to ruffle her clothes too much, or do anything that would make their full of questions son, question what happened to her.

Haley smiled against his mouth, resting her hand on the back of his neck, her fingernails lightly scratching along his skin. She wasn't at all surprised that he was kissing her right now, he'd done it at every second they had alone. She felt her heart race, pulling him a bit closer to her. He made her feel wanted, and needed. She'd never had a guy, well besides him of course, want to kiss her at every second he could, or else she'd never had a guy brave enough to try.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled against her lips, his hand slowly beginning to trail up her thigh, gripping her leg and tugging her closer to him.

She frowned, pulling back slightly, "For what?" She questioned him, before her lips were being covered with his again.

"The cameras." He mumbled, shifting slightly, continuing to move his hand further up her leg, before resting his hand low on her hip, pushing up her shirt a little bit, lightly caressing his fingers over her skin.

She pulled back slowly, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Nathan, if it bothered me a lot then I wouldn't go out in public with you." She said simply, brushing her hand over his cheek, leaning forward, nuzzling her nose against his.

"I just don't like it." He said, rubbing his hands up and down her sides lightly, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's fine, baby. You protect us." She said softly, pulling back at him for a brief moment.

Nathan looked down at her, relief washing over him. She felt protected and safe. He could tell just by the look in her eyes. She felt safe when she was with him. She felt like Jamie was safe when she was with him. That was important to him. He wanted to protect his family.

He leaned forward, nuzzling his nose against hers once again, giving her waist a small tug. "Haley..." He trailed off, not really sure what words he was planning to follow it with. He just wanted to say her name, to acknowledge the fact that she was here with him.

Haley was about to pull him into another kiss when the doorbell started ringing, followed by the sound of Jamie running down the stairs to get the door.

Haley brushed her fingers over Nathan's stomach, before standing up slowly, heading towards the front door as Jamie pulled it open.

"Aunt Quinn!" Jamie shouted, jumping from his spot on the ground into his aunt's open arms.

A grin grew on Haley's face at the sound over her sister's name. She rushed over, seeing that her son's statement was true, she was standing at her front door.

Quinn smiled brightly at Haley, stepping into the house, hugging Jamie tightly to her. "Hey Jame. Haley." She hummed, glancing over at the figure sitting on the couch in the living room. "Nathan."

Nathan stood up slowly, walking over to the front door. "Quinn, hey." He said, smiling at her. "Can I get your bags for you?" He asked, reaching over and picking up her duffle bag off the front step.

Quinn grinned at him, "I missed you." She joked, nodding. "Of course you can take my stuff."

"How was Brazil?" Haley asked quickly, raising her eyebrows and nodding at her older sister.

"It was amazing, I have some awesome pictures that I can show you. It's unfortunate that I had to come home." Quinn laughed, setting Jamie down and hugging Haley quickly.

"Where's Brazil?" Jamie asked, looking up at Nathan.

Nathan looked down at his son, ruffling his hair. "South America." He informed him.

"Wow, Nathan. When did you get your Masters degree? You're a genius." Quinn said, looking over at him and winking.

He rolled his eyes, shifting the bag on his shoulder. "Whatever, I'll go put this upstairs." He said, heading up the stairs quickly.

"I brought you some things, little man." Quinn informed Jamie, nodding at him. "They're in my bag, I'll give them to you a little bit later." She hummed, pinching his chin.

Jamie grinned, "I like presents." He hummed, looking up at his mother.

"How long are you going to be here?" Haley asked, wrapping her arm around Quinn's shoulders.

"Probably not too long, I'm not really sure. Thankfully I can do my job from anywhere." Quinn said, nodding at her. "Don't worry, I won't over stay my welcome."

"Nonsense. There's no way I could ever want my favorite sister to leave. You stay a long as you want." Haley said, waving her hand.

Nathan stepped down the stairs, carrying Jamie's bag, letting out a deep breath. "Jamie, let's get going." He said, scooping up his son and throwing him over his shoulder.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking at him quickly. "Going? Where are you going?" She asked him, frowning slightly.

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, "I figured that I'll take Jamie back to my place, and you two can talk." He said, smiling at her, turning so his back was to Haley. "Give mom a kiss."

"You don't have to leave, Nathan. Don't worry about it. I don't even want to spend time with Haley." Quinn laughed, smiling at him.

"Hey, if you don't want to spend time with her, think how I feel? I've been with her all day." He said, smirking slightly.

Haley smacked his arm softly, leaning forward and kissing Jamie on his forehead. "Bye, baby. I'll miss you." She hummed quietly. She laid her hand on Nathan's back for a brief moment, letting out a deep breath. "You don't have to go though."

"It's fine. I need some guy time." Nathan chuckled, shrugging. "Bye Hales. Bye Quinn." He said, nodding at them and stepping out of the house.

Quinn watched Nathan's car drive away, before whipping around and staring at Haley, kinking one eyebrow. "Haley."

Haley looked at her, crossing her arms. "Quinn." She said, shaking her head.

"Haaaallleeesssss." Quinn said again, dragging out her name. "Sister bonding time." She hummed, wrapping her arm around Haley's shoulders, leading her back into the living room.

"Alright, let's talk about David." Haley said, sitting down and patting the couch next to her.

Quinn scowled slightly, shaking her head. "You sure know how to shut me up, don't you?" She asked, sitting down on the couch. "We don't need to talk about my failed marriage. Let's talk about your love life." She hummed, patting Haley's leg.

"I'm doing great, Quinn? How are you? Jamie did the cutest thing yesterday." Haley chuckled, shrugging slightly.

"Skip the introductions, Haley! I care so much about that little son of yours but everything he does is cute. Tell me about this hot, sexy love affair you've gotten yourself into." Quinn said, smirking slightly.

"There's nothing hot and sexy about my life." Haley said, shaking her head and leaning back. It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't close to the truth.

"Bullshit." Quinn responded, shaking her finger at Haley. "You called me and said that you broke up with whatever his name is, and now you've started up a kinky sexcapade with one of the NBA's hottest players."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Quinn!" She said, shaking her head. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Tell me everything." Quinn said, nodding at Haley. "Don't lie to me, Haley Bob!"

"Okay, okay." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "No one knows." She said softly, looking away from her. "We're keeping it quiet, just in case things take a turn for the worse."

"I knew it!" Quinn smirked at her. "Damn, Hales! This is the best news I've heard in a long time." She said, wrapping her arms around Haley. "How did it happen?"

"Well, it obviously hasn't been that long since I spoke to you on the phone a short time ago. But I called him, and he came here for dinner, and he gave me this-" Haley cut herself off, picking up a pillow and hugging it to her chest. "I have butterflies, oh hell. I'm basically in high school again, obsessing over Nathan Scott. Anyways, he gave me this bracelet that he gave me the first time I tutored him."

"The cheap plastic one." Quinn hummed, smiling at her younger sister. "And how did this date go?"

"It went well, until the very end when he left in a rush because he found out that Jesse broke up with me instead of the other way around." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Yikes." Quinn chuckled, biting her lip and nodding at her to go on.

"Jamie was at his house and Skills was watching him, and Nathan went home and caught Skills with Deb. I went over and walked into him freaking out." Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

"Deb as in... Nathan's crazy mother?" Quinn questioned her, blinking.

"I guess she's not crazy anymore. Except for the fact that she's dating someone we went to high school with. I don't know, Quinny. Nathan and I are planning on a time to go to lunch with her so I can, you know, scope her out and make sure she's clean. Then we're going to think about letting her spend time with Jamie. But right now we're just so... Wrapped up in each other. Plus, Nathan can't think about his mom without nearly throwing up because of her relationship with Skills."

"I don't blame him." Quinn laughed, shaking her head. "So you two made up."

"Yeah." Haley said softly, pressing her face into the top of the pillow. "You're the only one that knows. Oh, and Clay."

"Clay the sexy superhero agent?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrows. "The one that opens the door for me when I'm around him?"

"That would be the one, which by the way... I'm pissed at you guys! You all go to Nathan's basketball games and have never told me." Haley said, poking her sister.

"Haley, Nathan broke your heart. There's no way we would tell you that we like to spend time with him. Except for Mom, of course." Quinn laughed, smiling at her. "And I'm using broke as in broke, past tense."

"Clay said he's interested in you." Haley said simply, sighing softly. "So do with that information what you will."

"Hm... Interesting." Quinn said, grinning. "So... How did it all happen?"

"Jamie fell in the pool while we were arguing... And it was terrifying." Haley said softly, leaning back, hugging the pillow tighter against herself. "I already told you that though. And about Brooke's fashion show, and about the hotel room afterwards."

"But you haven't told me about the bar." Quinn hummed, crossing her legs. "About Tric."

"Who told you about that?" Haley asked her, a small smile forming on her face at the memory of Nathan stepping completely out of his comfort zone.

"Occasionally I'll talk to Brooke Davis, and she will tell me things to talk to you about. She did not seem happy." Quinn said, frowning slightly. "That must be part of the reason you're keeping this all quiet."

"I guess that's a little bit of it, but I'm being completely honest here when I say that the biggest reason is Jamie." Haley said, letting out a small sigh. "Brooke is being a good friend. I can't pretend that I'm not scared about the future, but Nathan really helps with that."

Quinn smiled at her, "So, why haven't I heard about this iconic Tric thing that happened?" She asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know what to say about it." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "He had them play the song Jessie's Girl and made me dance with him."

Quinn looked at her, blinking slowly. "Nathan Scott did that?" She questioned her. "Nathan Scott wouldn't even dance with anyone at his brother's wedding. He probably wouldn't have danced at your wedding."

"Nathan used to dance with me if I asked him to." Haley said, shaking her head. "Only late at nights. Every once and awhile." She said, smiling slightly, biting her lip, closing her eyes at the memories of them dancing around their small apartment, the lights low. They were carefree. Those were the memories that she cherished above all.

"So I guess this isn't just a hot, passionate sexcapade." Quinn said, smiling at her.

"No." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "We're taking to slow... In a way." She said, shrugging. "Sort of. I don't know."

"What do you mean by that?" Quinn asked her curiously, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, we haven't been going out for that long, and the way I feel about him is escalating quickly. Very quickly. I feel this need to constantly know what he's doing, or how he's doing. He spent the night last night." Haley said softly, shifting slightly. "And it was perfect, Quinn. I swear, he makes me feel so comfortable. I just want to be with him all the time. I've always liked to watch him with Jamie, but it's like a whole new world has opened up for me. Watching him take care of our son just makes my heart race. When I'm not with him, I'm thinking about him. I was in the middle of grading an assignment the other day and I just zoned out. On him. Which is crazy, because again, we haven't been dating for that long. I know we've been together before, but is it possible that all of those feelings never really went away? They just buried themselves, kind of like lost treasure, and no one could see it, not even us? They were just always there?" She asked her, letting out a deep breath. "I don't know if I'm in love with him quite yet, but I'm falling in love with him again."

Quinn smiled at her, looking at her younger sister and letting out a deep breath, "I'm happy for you, Hales. Genuinely happy for you. Despite everything that you and Nathan have been through, I'm glad that this is the way things are going to end up. And don't worry, you're secret is safe with me."


	19. Chapter 19

**This one is fairly long! Thank you for reading! I do like this chapter.**

 **Chapter 19**

Haley tapped her pen on her desk quickly, looking down at the paper she was reading. She glanced up, taking a second to watch Quinn and Jamie together while Quinn helped him with his homework. She'd been staying at her house for nearly three weeks now. And while most people would feel as though she'd overstayed her welcome, Haley felt the exact opposite. She absolutely loved having her older sister around, and Jamie did too. The only person who wasn't as thrilled about it was Nathan, and he really liked Quinn, but as he so lovingly put it, she was just another person stopping him from making out with Haley every moment Jamie is out of the room. Not that it impacted him that much, he'd been extremely busy for the majority of the time her sister had been here. They'd been doing extremely well, though. He was coming home tonight. He was guest bartending at Tric tonight, which meant that they probably wouldn't spend too much time together. But she was mostly just excited to see him. She glanced at the time. It was nearing four-thirty. Had she really been sitting here, grading papers for that long? At least Jamie would be able to get all of his homework done, not that he had an overbearing amount.

She let out a deep breath, smoothing her fingers over the slightly crumbled paper, shaking her head. She normally wouldn't have accepted a paper like this, but at least Quentin Fields had turned in an assignment. She clicked her red pen repeatedly, focusing her eyes on the words he had written.

It wasn't until the door shut that she looked up, standing up slowly and glancing back to her sister, before her eyes focusing on the man in front of her.

"Jesse. What can I do for you?" Haley asked him, pinning a small smile to her face, resting her fingertips on her desk. This was unexpected. They'd been polite to each other when they'd seen each other, but despite working in the same place, their paths didn't cross often unless it was at a meeting, or something where all of the teachers had to be there.

"Can we talk?" Jesse asked her, clearing his throat and glancing towards Quinn and Jamie, nodding curtly.

Haley looked over at Quinn, who nodded and mouthed 'I've got him' to her, before tilting her head down to Jamie's homework, her eyes still stuck on her sister though.

"Yeah, of course." Haley said, smiling at him. "Should we walk?" She suggested.

Jesse nodded, heading out of the room with her, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She followed after him, crossing her arms and biting down on her bottom lip. They walked the halls silently for a short time, neither of them saying anything.

"So..." Jesse trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. "There's something that I wanted to talk to you about."

She looked at him curiously, nodding slowly. "Alright..." She trailed off. "Is everything okay?"

"Well... Not exactly." He said, clearing his throat and resting his hand on her arm, turning to look at her.

Haley glanced around the halls, before looking up at him and blinking slowly, shifting so she was facing him as well. "What's wrong?"

"I already spoke to Principal Turner about this, and I thought you deserved to hear it from me before it becomes public knowledge." He said, shifting slightly and looking down at her. "I've really enjoyed working here, Haley. This has been a great place for me to live, and I was getting pretty excited to start this new year. But I think it's time for me to move on."

"Jesse..." Haley trailed off, shaking her head and frowning. "You don't-"

He held up his hand, smiling down at her. "Haley. It's not about you, I promise." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I'm moving back to Atlanta. My mom... She's just not getting better and I need to be there with her."

Haley heart broke a little bit for him. She would have preferred that he move because of her, rather than have to move because his mother was sick.

"I'm so sorry, Jesse." She said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Really."

"I just thought you deserved to know." He responded, nodding at her and letting out a deep breath.

Haley hesitated for a brief moment, before pulling him into a hug. "I hope that everything ends up okay, Jesse. I mean that." She said softly. "I'm really sorry."

Jesse hugged her in response, letting out a deep breath. "Me too." He said, sending a small smile down at her once she pulled back.

"How long until you leave?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath and crossing her arms again.

"I'll be here until they hire another teacher for my position." Jesse said, shrugging slightly. "So however long that takes. My sister is there right now. Turner doesn't think it will take too long. He told me I could leave now if I needed to. So my plan is to be here for a bit longer, but that might change."

"You do what you have to do." Haley said, sending him a comforting smile. "Thank you for telling me. I'm sure I'll see you again, but I really wish you the best."

Jesse let out a deep breath, "Thank you." He said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Alright. Well I'm going to head out of here. It was nice talking to you, Haley."

"You too, Jesse." She said, nodding. She watched him walk down the hall for a brief moment, before letting out a small sigh and turning walking back to her classroom. She ran her fingers through her hair, stopping in her tracks when she saw Nathan sitting in her chair, his feet up on her desk, Jamie sitting on her desk telling him about his day.

"Hey." She said, smiling brightly at him, leaning against one of the desks in her classroom. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. Just missed Tree Hill a little bit. Plus, I have that thing tonight. But I wanted to come home a little bit early so I could hang out for a bit." Nathan chuckled, smirking slightly.

"He certainly missed something." Quinn said, clearing her throat and nodding at Haley, winking.

"Jamie tells me that you were with Jesse." Nathan said, folding his hands behind his head.

"Can't believe you let that fine man go." Quinn said, shaking his head.

Nathan glared at her, rolling his eyes. "Why don't you go after him then, Quinn?" He snapped to her, grabbing Jamie's foot, untying his shoe.

"Easy there, tiger." Quinn chuckled, smirking slightly.

"Aunt Quinn, if you're not nice to him, he's not going to give you your surprise." Jamie said, shaking his head and pulling his foot away from Nathan's hand, grabbing his father's foot and beginning to untie his shoe.

"Jamie Scott! Can I not tell you anything?" Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

Quinn perked up immediately, raising her eyebrows. "What did you bring me?" She asked him curiously.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Nathan responded, shrugging slightly.

Haley cleared her throat, "I've been trying to remain calm, Nathan. But you need to get your feet off my desk." She said, nodding down at his feet.

"I can't, Jamie untied my shoe. I'll trip." Nathan chuckled, raising his eyebrows at Haley, stretching a bit.

"You untied my shoe first!" Jamie responded, laughing and shaking his finger at him.

"Nathan." Haley said, sending him a pointed look, nodding at his feet again. "Off my desk."

Nathan smirked at her, giving her a stare down for a moment, before letting out a sigh and removing his feet from her desk. "Okay, Jimmy Jam. Let's go to the vending machine. I can show you the spot I beat up Uncle Lucas." He said, tying his shoe again while Jamie tied his. He grabbed onto Jamie's hand, smiling at Haley, pulling him out of the room.

Haley moved to sit back down, rolling her eyes slightly. Of course, Nathan had to adjust her chair. He was annoying as hell. She fixed her chair back to the way she had it previously, leaning forward and straightening out her papers.

"How's the ex?" Quinn asked, walking around her desk and leaning against it, smirking slightly.

"He's moving." Haley informed her, shrugging slightly. "Not because of me. His mom has been sick, and she's not getting better." She said softly.

"That's terrible." Quinn said, frowning.

"I know, I feel bad." Haley said, shrugging slightly. "So... What do you think Nathan brought you?"

"I don't know why he would bring me anything." Quinn said, shaking her head. "And not bring you anything." She teased her.

"His presence is enough for me." Haley said, smiling slightly, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Cheesy." Quinn said, laughing quietly. "Are you okay?"

Haley nodded at her, "Yeah. I'm good." She said, tapping her fingers on her desk. "I just feel bad for Jesse." She said, shrugging slightly.

"I think it's smart that he's going to stay with his mom." Quinn said, resting her hand on Haley's shoulder.

Haley let out a deep breath, tapping her fingers on her desk. "At least Nathan is home."

"Just in time for you to watch people throw themselves at him tonight." Quinn teased her, smirking slightly. "I'll kick his ass, if you want."

"It will be fine. I know he's hot. I'll be there to keep them away." Haley responded, shaking her head. "Plus, he's making drinks and taking pictures. It's not like he can get himself into that much trouble. And Chase or Owen will be right there with him."

"It's good that you're trusting him." Quinn said, smiling. "Now, when are you two going to reveal this secret relationship?"

Haley opened her mouth to respond when the door opened again, Nathan walking in casually, closing it behind him.

"Where's Jamie?" Haley asked him slowly, standing up and raising her eyebrows.

"I gave him forty bucks and told him to go nuts. He's probably still at the vending machine." Nathan hummed, walking over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Hello, gorgeous." He said, leaning down and kissing her quickly.

Haley pushed him back, frowning. "You left our five year old son alone?" She questioned him.

"I did it for you, babe. Quinn, cover your eyes." He smirked, leaning down to kiss her again.

Haley held up her hand, looking over at Quinn and scowling. "Nathan. Tell me that you're joking. He's five!"

"And the school is empty. He'll be okay. I did it so we could make out." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Why are you mad?"

Haley pushed Nathan away quickly, hurrying towards the door, pulling it open, beginning to rush out when she connected with someone. She stumbled back slightly, before she felt someone secure her.

"Damn, Hales. You need to be careful where you're going." Clay chuckled, handing her a bag of chips. "Here, take this. It's on Nathan. Come on, Jamie." He said, smirking and stepping into the classroom, the five year old following behind him.

Haley whipped around and looked at Nathan's smirking face, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"You're the worst." She grumbled, throwing the chips at him and closing the door again, letting out a deep breath.

"Aunt Quinn! This is your surprise." Jamie said, gesturing up at Clay.

"If it isn't the talented Quinn James, it's been awhile." Clay said, smiling at her. "You look great. Happiness suits you."

Quinn smiled and hugged Clay quickly. "It's been too long! I don't think I've seen you since that night in Milwaukee where we-"

Nathan cleared his throat loudly, shaking his head quickly, gesturing down to Jamie.

"Where we had a lot of fun." Quinn finished, smiling down at Jamie, who handed her something from the vending machine.

"Daddy said he needed a break from you, so Uncle Clay is here to hang out with you. Maybe you can have fun like you did then!" Jamie said, smiling up at her.

"Oh, I don't know if we can." Clay said, chuckling quietly. "We can certainly try, though."

Haley stepped next to Nathan, smiling at Jamie, "What happened in Milwaukee?" She asked him quietly through her smile.

"Long story." Nathan said softly, shrugging his shoulders.

Clay turned to Haley, a grin on his face. "Haley James. I feel like I haven't seen you in awhile either. Except when you're distracting my client over a webcam, or course." He said to her, pulling her into a hug.

"What do you do to distract him?" Jamie asked curiously.

Quinn covered her mouth to hold back her laughter, biting her lip, making eye contact with Nathan.

"I show him pictures of you, sweetie." Haley hummed, bending over and kissing Jamie's head. "Did you get all your homework done?"

"Yeah. I got it done right before he got here." Jamie hummed, pointing at Nathan and grinning.

"That's right, Jimmy Jam. My boy is a genius." Nathan hummed, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"I helped." Quinn said, shrugging slightly. "I'm smart too."

"I'm sure you're the smartest James girl. Wait- I take that back. Taylor." Clay said, smirking slightly.

Nathan laughed, fist bumping Clay and picking up Jamie. "Why are we all hanging out in the school?" He asked, looking at his son.

"I'm in high school." Jamie reminded him, sticking out his tongue. "That's what Uncle Lucas said."

"I think I can see a mustache." Nathan chuckled, hugging Jamie tightly to him. "What do you say we get out of here? Head over to my house for a bit so Uncle Clay can get settled. I can teach you how to shave."

"What would you know about shaving?" Quinn teased him, raising her eyebrows.

"He shaves his chest." Clay said, beginning to unbutton Nathan's shirt.

"I don't shave my chest."

"He doesn't shave his chest."

Nathan and Haley said at the same him, turning to look at each other.

Haley bit down on her lip, letting out a small sigh, her cheeks tinting pink. "What? He told me he doesn't so I believe him.

"If that's your story." Clay said, slinging his arm around Haley's shoulders. "I missed Tree Hill. It has a certain home feel to it that I enjoy."

Haley rolled her eyes, wrapping her arm around Clay, resting her head on his shoulder for a second. She had always liked Clay. Always. He was a great guy, and he treated them all very well. She had no idea that Clay even knew Quinn that well, but she could see them being happy together. Of course, Jamie's words had probably been true when he said that Nathan only invited Clay so he could provide as a distraction for Quinn.

"Let me get my purse." Haley said, letting go of him, walking over to her desk, beginning to gather up her papers. "Go on, I'll just be a second. Nathan, you can take Jamie. I'll meet you at your house."

Nathan nodded, setting Jamie down. "Hey buddy. Go with Aunt Quinn and Uncle Clay out to the car. I have to talk to your Mom for a second." He said, smiling at him.

Jamie nodded quickly, hurrying over and grabbing his backpack, grabbing the things he'd bought off Haley's desk, beginning to shove them into his bag.

Quinn fake gagged, winking at Haley and shaking her head. "Alright, but don't be too long." She said, grabbing Jamie's hand. "Come on, buddy."

Nathan watched them walk out of the room, before turning to Haley and pulling her into a tight hug, closing his eyes and pressing his face into her shoulder. "I missed you." He said softly.

Haley held onto him just as tightly, rubbing her hands up and down his back slowly. "I missed you too." She whispered, chuckling. "And if you would've told me about Clay being with Jamie, I would've kissed you earlier."

"I thought it was funny." He chuckled, kissing her head softly, pulling her closer to him. "What were you talking to Jesse about?"

"He's moving." Haley said simply, "His mom is sick and he's going to stay with her for awhile."

"Damn, that sucks." Nathan said, frowning slightly, dipping his fingertips under the waistband of her skirt, tugging up her shirt a bit until his hands connected with her skin.

"I know." She said, frowning slightly. "It sure is taking you a long time to kiss me." She said softly, gripping his shirt.

Nathan grinned at her, kissing her deeply, his arms winding around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He'd missed her a lot. And the fact that he wouldn't be able to spend much time with her until late at night when they were in the solitudes of one of their bedrooms made him pretty sad. This would probably be the most alone time they got until then.

Haley tangled her fingers in his hair, closing her eyes tightly, letting herself get lost in him for a short time. She took a few steps back, pulling him along with her until she was leaning back against her desk, knocking a few things over, but oh well. She could pick those up.

Nathan leaned into her, smirking slightly against her mouth, leaning her back a bit more, one hand finding it's way into her shirt, gripping her side lightly, his thumb brushing over her skin.

After staying in that position for a few minutes, Nathan reluctantly pulled back, looking down at her and smiling slightly, kissing her once more for a brief second, before stepping away from her.

"I need a favor." He said softly, breathing heavily.

Haley raised her eyebrows, beginning to tuck her shirt back in, waiting until she caught her breath before nodding at him. "After that? I'd probably do anything."

"You can help me figure out what to wear tonight." He said, looking down and shifting slightly.

She nodded, smiling slightly at him, smoothing out his hair, before beginning to do up the buttons on his shirt that she had subconsciously undone. "Sure, I can do that. Make sure you don't look too sexy."

He chuckled quietly, sliding his hand into hers for a brief moment, giving it a soft squeeze. "I'll meet you at my house, Ms. James. Don't be too late." He chuckled, kissing her once more, before heading out the door.

Haley sat down at her desk once more, biting her lip and letting out a deep breath, beginning to straighten up her desk, as well as her appearance, her heart still pounding, as it always did whenever she was near Nathan.

xxxx

"Can I come with you?" Jamie asked his father once he entered the room, frowning up at him.

"I don't think they let five year olds into bars anymore, Jame. Though I don't think anyone would mind having their drinks made by a cute kid like you." Nathan chuckled, rolling up his sleeves and looking at Haley, sticking his arms out. "Fifth shirt, Hales. When I asked you to help me, I didn't think you'd be this picky." He grumbled, looking over and Quinn and rolling his eyes.

"I like this one." Quinn said, shrugging slightly. "I think it looks good, but not too good. But I still liked the third one better."

"I think you should wear something black, that way if you spill anything on yourself, no one will notice." Clay said, making a clicking noise at Nathan.

"You should wear your Ravens jersey!" Jamie chimed in, nodding at him quickly. "The black one."

"The last thing he needs is people seeing his biceps, Jamie." Clay argued with him, shrugging.

"Why?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Because they're big." Quinn said, ruffling Jamie's hair. "And if he does that, then he'll find another girlfriend and marry her. You don't want him to get married, do you?"

Jamie's face scrunched up, shaking his head. "No." He said quickly, looking up at Nathan.

Haley kinked her eyebrow, rolling her eyes. "What are you two teaching my son?" She asked, wrapping her arm around Jamie's shoulders, tugging him closer to her.

"What else is going to make him get married? We need to do the opposite!" Jamie said, frowning and looking back at Quinn and Clay.

"Well, he has a pretty face. So we need to put a paper bag over it. We don't need to worry about girls falling for his personality, it's bland." Clay said, nodding at Quinn. "Anything else?"

"Come on, you two. Stop it." Haley said, smiling at Nathan.

Nathan rolled his eyes, beginning to unbutton his shirt, turning and heading back up the stairs.

"He won't be able to kiss anyone if he had a bag over his head." Quinn added, winking at Haley.

"Is he going to get married?" Jamie asked Haley in a panicked voice, sitting up on his knees on the couch.

Haley shook her head, rubbing his head. "No, baby. They're just teasing him. And you." She said, kissing his forehead.

Nathan stepped down the stairs a moment later, his shirt gone all together. He flexed his bicep, smirking at the people on the couch. "Well?" He asked, raisin his eyebrows.

"That's the one." Clay said, standing up quickly, clapping his hands together. "No shirt, no shirt, no shirt!" He chanted.

Quinn laughed, clapping along with Clay. "Wow, Nathan. You look great! Now write 'Bartender' on your chest." She said, smirking slightly.

Haley rolled her eyes slightly, shaking her head. "I veto it." She said, laughing quietly. "I think it shows a little too much skin."

"With this outfit, he might have another kid by tomorrow." Clay said, throwing his arm around Nathan's shoulder. "It's perfect."

"Another kid?" Jamie asked in disbelief, staring up at Haley before his gaze shifted back to Nathan.

"Okay, guys! Let's stop making jokes like that in front of the five year old." Haley said, standing up and walking over to Nathan, resting her hand on his bicep, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. "I do not recommend you wear this one." She said, shrugging slightly.

Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "I think this is the winner. I've always loved watching people fight for me. Maybe I'll wear some shorts instead of my jeans though. Go commando underneath."

"I'd buy a drink from you." Quinn said, shrugging. "Keep your hair down in your face and spray water on your chest like you just got done with an intense work out."

"Damn, that's sexy. Nice job, Quinn. You're making my job easier." Clay said, laughing. "Maybe we'll charge a hundred bucks and they can touch as well. All of it will be donated."

"You'd make a fortune! You have to do it, Nathan." Quinn said, squeezing his bicep. "I'll take pictures of people and we can charge them for the pictures too."

Haley shook her head, "He's not going to do that." She said quickly. She could feel jealousy creep up on her at the thought, even though she knew they were just joking with her. She still didn't like it.

"I think I'll stay clothed this time. Try me again in a few months, I might be down for that." Nathan chuckled, ruffling Clay's hair, before heading back up the stairs.

Nathan returned once more, finding Clay and Quinn absent from the couch, raising his eyebrows.

"I kicked them out." Haley chuckled, squeezing Jamie's shoulder, taking in Nathan's appearance. Dark jeans and a gray t-shirt that said 'Charlotte Hornets' written across the front. "This looks good." She said, smiling at him.

Jamie nodded quickly, "Are you sure I can't come?" He asked, standing up off the couch.

Nathan kneeled down in front of him, resting his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head sadly. "I'm afraid not, buddy. But you know what? Tomorrow we're going to spend the whole day together. Just you and me. Okay? I'll pick you up from Andre's house in the morning, and we'll go to the Rivercourt."

Jamie nodded, grinning at him and throwing his arms around Nathan's neck. "I missed you." He said quietly.

Nathan smiled, looking up at Haley for a second, rubbing his son's back. "I missed you too, buddy."

xxxx

"This place is packed." Brooke said, looking around.

"Yeah, it's almost as if Nathan is a big deal." Peyton laughed, shaking her head.

"Hey, Nathan is perfect." Clay cut in, shaking his head and looking over at his friend who was bar tending.

"He's probably the closest to it a human being can get." Jake said, shrugging slightly.

"I'd say that handsome man next to him is exactly perfect." Brooke said, resting her elbow on the table and staring dreamily in the direction of the bar. "I love me some Chase Adams."

"Brooke, I'm right here." Lucas laughed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "I don't like you staring at your old boyfriends."

"You have to admit, Luke. He is pretty cute." Haley chuckled, looking over in Chase's direction, shaking his head. "Plus, it's either Chase or Owen. You might be able to take Chase, but Owen could beat you up."

"I never dated Owen. Owen was a fling." Brooke said, shaking her head. "Everyone needs a fling, Haley James. Lucas was Peyton's fling. I was Nathan's fling. Jake, well, we all know who Jake's fling was. Hello Jenny's mom."

"Hey." Jake said, shaking his head, grimacing slightly.

"Who was Lucas' fling?" Haley asked curiously, looking over at Lucas.

"Hello Jenny's mom again." Brooke chuckled, crossing her arms.

"You have so much logic in you." Quinn laughed, nodding at Brooke.

Brooke laughed, shrugging. "Thank you. I miss having flings."

"Brooke!" Lucas laughed, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"I don't think I've had a fling." Haley said, shaking her head.

"You had that summer fling." Quinn pointed out. "When you were in high school."

"That wasn't a fling! He was my boyfriend." Haley said, shaking her head.

"Let's not talk about that guy." Lucas grumbled, shaking his head quickly. "He was annoying. Let's talk about something else."

"Oh, I have a good topic." Peyton said, clapping her hands. "Skills and Deb."

"Yikes." Lucas said, cringing slightly. "So weird."

"Nathan is not handling that one well, let me tell you." Clay said, chuckling quietly. "Sometimes I crash at his place in Charlotte, and every once and awhile I'll wake up to him punching this punching bag and grumbling things about how he wishes it was Skills."

"Skills is our friend, and I know if he was dating my mom... I would be completely weirded out." Brooke said, letting out a deep breath. "My mom is a bitch though, so no one will be dating her."

Haley glanced over towards Nathan at the bar, letting out a deep breath and shaking her head. She wished that he was here with her right now, sitting next to her.

Quinn nudged her side, smiling slightly at her. "You doing okay?" She asked her quietly amidst the conversation, following her gaze to Nathan, who was currently talking to a group of gorgeous girls wearing close to nothing.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Haley said, sighing softly. She focused her attention back to the group. She trusted Nathan.

"So, Clay." Lucas began, looking over at his brother's agent. "How's training going? I swear, I haven't had an actual conversation with Nathan in awhile. He's always busy."

"Nathan is doing great. I think the Hornets will have a great season. I'm anxious for it to start. Nathan's putting a lot of pressure on himself after what happened last year in Game 7, but I know he'll do great." Clay said, smiling. "When he's in Charlotte, he's either in the gym practicing, or at his place doing some type of exercise."

"Is that healthy for him?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows and frowning.

"He doesn't overdo it. He's fine." Clay chuckled, nodding at her. "He doesn't really come out with me as often anymore, such a shame."

"I have to know, Clay. Did Kylie go crazy? I heard that they're switching the girl for the Rainstorm Body Spray commercial." Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley had heard about this. When Nathan had come to her house and gotten in bed with scratch marks all over his body, there was definitely some interrogating that happened. Apparently Kylie had tried to pull a move on him before they started shooting, and he'd shot down her advances. So in the middle of filming, she went at him, scratching all over him, even biting him a couple of times. She innocently put it as "making the scene more sexy."

"There will be a new girl, yes." Clay laughed, downing one of the shots in front of him. "I'm not allowed to release any details, so you'll need to wait and see."

"What about shoes? Can you tell us about shoes?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows. "And when do we get free pairs?"

"I'm not allowed to release any information." Clay chuckled, shaking his head. "Stop asking questions."

"Just promise me there aren't anymore green ones." Brooke laughed, looking over at Nathan.

"I won't say anything." Clay said, shrugging and looking at Quinn. "Do you want to go dance, maybe?" He questioned her, smiling slightly. "In a completely platonic, friend sort of way."

Quinn laughed, taking his hand and standing up. "I would love to dance. If you leave your phone on silent."

"I think I can do that." Clay said, smiling at her, pulling her away with them.

"He's cute. They're cute." Brooke hummed, smiling. "I can see their future flashing before my eyes."

"You're acting kind of crazy tonight, B. Davis." Peyton said, shaking her head. "Mom must really be getting to you."

"Let's just say, I've been looking forward to this night." Brooke grumbled, taking Lucas' drink from his hand.

"I second that." Jake said, nodding. "This week has been shit." He grumbled, hitting his glass against hers.

Haley stood up slowly, "I'm going to go get another drink. Does anyone want anything?" She asked, listening to the requests, before heading to the bar, biting down on her lip.

It took a few minutes for her to fight her way to the bar, stopping in front of him and letting out a deep breath as he stared at her with an amused expression.

"You know, Chase could've helped you." Nathan said, smirking at her and leaning against the bar. "I'm worse than him at this."

"Oh well. Looks like I'm already here." Haley said, tracing her fingers over the countertop. "It's like a zoo in here."

"Tell me about it. Except I'm the animal that everyone is staring at." He chuckled, tugging on his shirt collar. "I'm tempted to strip, give them a show."

"Haha, you better not." She said, shaking her head at him.

"What can I get for you?" He questioned her, leaning forward a bit more. "A screaming orgasm, maybe?"

"Mm... It's been a long time since I've had one of those." She said quietly, biting her lip. "I think I may need one of those tonight though."

Nathan blinked at her, letting out a deep breath. "Damn." He whispered, his gaze shifting to her lips. "You're killing me, Hales."

"I didn't even do anything." She chuckled, winking at him. "Yet." She said softly. "I have a list of orders actually. Think you can handle them? Or should I pass it on to Chase?"

"I'll take care of the Screaming Orgasm. You can give the rest to him." He said, winking at her.

"What do you say you swing by my house after you get off here? Just in case I don't get the chance to speak to you again." Haley said, nodding at him. "I'm thinking I can get rid of Quinn for the night."

"Was planning on it." He responded, sending her a small nod. "Thanks for stopping by. I'm sure Chase could use the company. He'd have more time to talk." He chuckled, humming softly. "I wish I had more time."

Haley smiled at him, nodding slowly. "I'll see you tonight, handsome." She said softly, before stepping away from the bar and over to Chase.

Eventually she returned back to her group of friends, taking a seat next to Quinn, who had returned with Clay.

"When she was ten she had a crush on this guy named... Haley what was the name of the boy you liked?" Quinn asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"I remember!" Lucas laughed, looking over at Haley. "Kyle James." He said, smirking at her.

"Don't start telling stories about me." Haley groaned, shaking her head.

"The only reason she liked him was because they had the same last name, and she didn't want to change hers." Quinn laughed, wrapping her arm around Haley's shoulders.

"You guys think you're so funny." Haley grumbled, rolling her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "I like the name James. Obviously, my son's name is James."

"Just get married, take your husband's last name, and still go by your maiden name." Brooke asked, pointing at herself. "Brooke Davis."

"Brooke, do you want me to leave?" Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

"Of course not, sweetie. I'm just joking with you." Brooke hummed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You could end up with a weird last name like Jagelski, so be careful." Peyton joked, nudging Jake with her elbow.

"Jagelski is unique!" Jake defended himself. "I think it suits you well."

"Is this how it usually goes? You all take turns making fun of each other and getting made fun of?" Clay asked them, laughing quietly.

"Yeah. At lot of time gets spent making fun of Nathan about the Rainstorm Body Spray, though." Lucas chuckled, smirking slightly.

"Really these boys are just jealous because they wish that someone would ask them to do that." Peyton hummed, patting Jake's cheek.

"You know what... I think I can guess who the new girl is." Brooke said, clapping her hands. "Filming takes place in Charlotte, right?"

Clay eyed her, nodding slowly. "You would be correct."

"Okay, then I totally know who she is." Brooke hummed, shrugging her shoulders.

Quinn looked up at Clay, before looking over at Brooke. "Who is it?"

"I'm not going to confirm or deny anything you say." Clay said quickly, crossing his arms. "If you want to be certain, you'll just have to watch the commercials."

"We never miss a new commercial, Clay." Peyton chuckled, before focusing her gaze on Brooke. "Who do you think it is?"

"It has to be Alex Dupre. Why else would she have been in Charlotte last week?" Brooke asked, smirking slightly.

"Good detective skills!" Quinn said, smirking and looking at Clay's stone face.

"I won't confirm, or deny." Clay said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Isn't she in rehab?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows. He sighed when all eyes turned to him. "What? I can keep up with things like that if I want!"

"Maybe her and Nathan will hit it off." Lucas said, shrugging slightly. "He dated Kylie, and you know, she who shall not be named. He has a bit of a track record with girls that are more on the wild side, even if he's not super wild anymore. Or maybe she's not what the tabloids say, and he'll actually really like her."

Haley let out a deep breath, shifting slightly and looking down at her drink.

"You know, I think that Nathan is trying to lay low. He doesn't need his own friends gossiping about him." Clay said, clearing his throat and nodding.

Haley looked at Clay, sending him a silent thank you when everyone at the table became quiet. Her gaze shifted over to Nathan, who was smiling and taking pictures with on every phone that was shoved his way. She smiled slightly, biting down on her lip. She liked to watch him interact with his fans. He took the time to make them feel important. Asked their names, took pictures with them. Listened to them. He was a great guy. She was very thankful for Clay in that moment, for putting a stop to this conversation. It always bothered her a little bit, but now it bothered her for a completely different reason than it had before. She didn't want to think of Nathan with someone else. Of course, they were all just talking. None of them knew about her and Nathan, so none of them knew how much she disliked this conversation. She let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair, tapping the home button of her phone, checking the time. It's was only nine-thirty. She could go now, but Nathan probably wouldn't be done until about midnight.

"New conversation." Brooke said, clearing her throat and looking at Haley. "Let's talk about this new Instagram obsession you have."

"Stop." Haley laughed, letting out a small sigh of relief at the new conversation.

"I see Jamie every day, I don't need to see a thousand pictures of him on Instagram added onto that." Lucas teased her, winking at her.

"It's for Nathan." Haley said, shrugging slightly. "So he can see more pictures of what Jamie is doing throughout his day."

"You post pictures of him as a baby." Quinn said, shrugging slightly.

"Hey now, I'm new to this Instagram world. I'll post as often as I want." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "It's not my fault I have a cute son." She said simply, smiling. "Well, I guess it's partly my fault."

"Where is Jamie tonight, anyways?" Lucas asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"He's at his friend's house." Haley hummed, glancing over towards the bar once more, letting out a small sigh.

"How is he liking Kindergarten?" Peyton asked, raising her eyebrows and smiling,

Haley smiled at her, tapping her fingers on the table. "He likes it. He's making a lot of friends, not surprising to me. Nathan told him that he's a Scott boy, so he's going to need to get used to having a lot of friends." She chuckled, shaking her head. "The thought of my baby being old enough to go to kindergarten still hurts my heart though."

Quinn smiled at her, shaking her head. "Oh, Hales." She laughed, hugging her sister.

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Time seems to be going by so quickly. I just wish that I could stop and breathe for a second."

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works." Jake chuckled, smiling at her. "It feels like it's been awhile since we've spent time with him." He began, gesturing between himself and Peyton. "So if you need a babysitter, let us know. Jenny likes him."

Haley smiled, nodding her head. "I'll let you know on that one." She hummed, biting her lip lightly.

"So, this seems to be doing well, Clay." Lucas said, nodding at Clay. "It was a good idea. We get to watch Nathan look overwhelmed." He chuckled, glancing over at his brother.

"It doesn't happen very often that he gets overwhelmed, does it?" Clay chuckled in response, following Lucas' eyes over to Nathan, who was scratching his head and looking at various bottles.

"Nathan? No. He usually always plays it cool." Peyton chuckled, shaking her head. "Always has been the kid that everyone either wanted to sleep with, or wanted to be."

"His whole entire life. I'm not even joking when I say that." Brooke said, shaking her head and laughing. "Cool and smooth."

Haley chuckled quietly, circling her finger around the rim of her glass. They were right, but she'd seen Nathan flustered many times. She'd made him flustered many times. Her gaze flickered over to him again, smiling slightly. He looked confused, very confused. She watched as he hurried over to Chase, grabbing his arm and nodding over to the person that he had been previously helping. He was so cute, she could feel her heart skip a beat at his every single action.

She was falling hard and fast for him, that's for sure.

xxxx

Nathan stepped into Haley's home, pushing his hand through his hair. It was nearing one o'clock. He had watched Haley leave at about eleven, without Quinn, and after that... The time went agonizingly slow. He wanted nothing more than to hop over the counter and follow her out.

By the time the bar was closed, he was exhausted. It had been awhile since he'd used his brain on anything besides memorizing basketball drills or helping his son with his kindergarten homework. Now he understood why Chase was not great at the whole drink making thing.

The house was dead silent. Perfect, really. He wanted nothing more than to climb into bed next to Haley, and then spend tomorrow with his son. After the week he'd had, he needed to relax a little bit. Be with his family.

Nathan let out a deep breath, rubbing his eyes and walking over to Haley's fridge, pulling out a plastic water bottle and taking a moment to admire the pictures she had laid out all over the outside of her fridge. He reached over, gently trailing his fingers over a picture of her and Jamie, smiling slightly. They were his world. His whole life in one picture. He'd give up anything for the two of them. Basketball, all the money he'd ever made, anything. He leaned against the island across from the fridge, staring at the pictures. There were only two pictures of him pinned up there. A picture of their little friend group when they graduated high school, and a picture of him, Haley, and Jamie the week after their greatest blessing had been born. He slowly removed it from the refrigerator, staring down at it. This couple was scared out of their minds. Yet they were happy. In complete bliss. Jamie had kept them up for hours the night before, but they couldn't have cared less. He shifted his gaze from the picture of Jamie as a baby, to the more recent one of him and Jamie, smiling slightly. Maybe one day they'd have more kids. They'd planned on having "more than a few" they would always say. Maybe. Hopefully.

Nathan let out a deep breath, shaking his head and sticking the photo back under the magnet. He turned slowly, tapping the lid of the water bottle against his palm, heading up the familiar stairs to his girlfriend's room. He gently pushed the door open, humming softly.

The sight in front of him caused him to stop in his tracks. He looked around the candlelit room, raising his eyebrows before his eyes landed on Haley, sitting on the rose petal covered bed.

"Hey." Haley said softly, biting her lip and looking up at him, a small smile playing at her face. She gently tugged at the end of the dress she was wearing, keeping her gaze on him.

"Hey." Nathan responded, his voice cracking a little bit. What the hell? Was he thirteen? Get it together, Scott.

She stood up to her feet, walking over to him slowly, carefully taking his hand in hers. "You did great tonight." She said softly, pulling him to her.

"What... What's all this?" He asked her, nodding his head around the room.

Haley kissed him softly, giving his hand a light squeeze. "I told you what I wanted at Tric earlier tonight, Nate." She said softly, pressing a light kiss to his jaw.

"This was supposed to be my move. I was going to do this." He chuckled, looking down at her. "The rose petals, the candles." He said softly, resting his forehead on hers.

"Well, I beat you to it." She said softly, resting her hand on the base of his neck, tugging him closer to her.

"You look... Beautiful." He said, nuzzling his nose against hers, wrapping his arm around her waist. "So beautiful."

"You're mine." She whispered to him, gripping his shirt collar lightly. "I'm yours."

Nathan could barely stand. He could feel himself melting into her at every breath she took. Every word she said. He was hers. She was his. It was as simple as that. Sure, it got a little more complicated the more they looked at it. But there was no one he would rather be with at this moment. Or any moment. Ask him any of his best memories. Haley would be there in some way or another. He didn't want to live any moments without her. She was it.

"You want me." He blurted out, pulling her closer to him. "I really, really want you."

"Then have me." Haley said, pulling him into a heated kiss, her eyes flutter shut, her hands sliding down his chest, before up into his shirt.

Nathan removed his shirt from his body, dropping it onto the ground at his feet, breaking their kiss only momentarily to do so, before his lips were attached to hers once more.

Haley smiled at him, her hands resting on his sides, giving him a small tug closer to her. "I want you too." She whispered, pulling back and biting down on his ear love softly.

Nathan's eyelids fluttered slightly, letting out a deep breath, his hand finding the zipper on her dress, sliding it down with ease. "You're it for me." He whispered to her, speaking his thoughts from just minutes prior out loud.

Haley let her dress drop to the ground, smirking up at him, kissing the crook of his neck lightly, allowing him to back her up onto the bed, falling down onto it and meeting his intense gaze, staring up at him, getting lost in his eyes like she did so often.

There was silence for nearly a minute before she finally spoke.

"I sure hope so." She whispered, pulling him down into another kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

**I received some reviews talking about how I portray Brooke as the bad guy. I absolutely adore Brooke Davis, and I think that her and Sophia Bush are amazing. Really, I don't mean for her to seem like the bad guy. I think it really depends on how you read it. I mean for her to seem more protective of Haley than anything else, to emphasize how much pain she went through with Nathan and how much she doesn't her to go through it again.**

 **This one is more of a filler.**

 **Chapter 20**

"Walk of shame?" Quinn asked, smirking and looking at Nathan once he walked into his own home.

Nathan jumped, looking at her and raising his eyebrows. "No shame here. You know, when Hales told me she could get rid of you for the night... I didn't expect you to be doing the walk of shame at my house." He said, pushing his hand through his hair.

"Not exactly." She responded, smiling slightly and shaking her head.

"Whatever that means." He chuckled, rubbing his neck and letting out a deep breath. "Where's Clay?"

"He fell asleep on the couch." She informed him, shrugging slightly. "Not really the wild night you're thinking."

"Good. No one has sex in my house except for me." He chuckled, smirking.

"And your mom, of course." Quinn said, clearing her throat and laughing.

"You're welcome to go at anytime." He snapped, rolling his eyes.

"What are you doing here, anyways? Aren't you supposed to be with my sister? All high on life? You didn't leave her while she was sleeping, did you?" She asked him, crossing her arms.

"No. It's like nine o'clock. You know it's rare for her to this sleep late." He chuckled, smiling slightly. "If you must know, we had a very pleasant morning. But I'm going to go pick up Jamie."

Quinn looked at him, nodding slowly. "She's happy, Nathan." She informed him, smiling slightly.

Nathan looked at her, letting out a breath of relief. "You think so? Because I'm really happy too." He said, rubbing his neck lightly.

"I can tell." She said, humming softly. "She's been happy over the past few years. But when you're the one making her happy, it's different." She informed him, nodding.

"She's amazing. She's always been amazing. I've never doubted it." He said, smiling slightly. "Well, I better go shower."

Quinn stepped in front of him when he headed towards the stairs, resting her hand on his chest and pushing him back lightly. She glanced towards the living room, noting Clay still asleep on the couch.

"You better not hurt her." Quinn began, staring up at him. "Maybe she'll hurt you, I don't know. But you better not hurt her. Not again."

Nathan looked down at her, nodding his head. "Understood." He said softly, sending her a small smile.

"I watched her, Nathan. I watched her with her heartbroken so badly that she couldn't even make a noise while she sobbed." Quinn said quickly. "It would make perfect sense for me to not be rooting for you. But I like you, Nate. So please, be careful with her."

Nathan let out a deep breath, nodding his head quickly. "I will, I promise. Yes." He said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Quinn smiled at him, stepping out of his way. "You know, if you do hurt her, I'll have to hurt you."

He smiled in response, stepping towards the stairs. "I know." He said, before hurrying up the stairs.

xxxx

Nathan picked Jamie up quickly, holding him up in the air until he dunked the ball into the hoop, his fingers curling around the rim of the basket. He smirked slightly, releasing his son from his grasp, letting him hang from the rim.

"Nice on, Jame." He chuckled, looking at him and shrugging slightly. "How long do you think you can hang there?"

"Forever!" Jamie responded, adjusting his grip a little bit, biting his lip and looking up with a determined stare.

Nathan chuckled quietly, prepared to catch Jamie the second he fell from the rim. "You've got quite the grip there, buddy." He laughed, quickly grabbing his son once he started slipping, pulling him down.

"That was cool." Jamie said, smiling up at Nathan. "How long until the season starts?"

"Two weeks." Nathan responded, ruffling Jamie's hair. He let out a small sigh, kneeling down and looking at his son. "I've got a game on Christmas this year, Jamie."

Jamie looked at him, blinking. "They can't make you play on Christmas!" He protested, shaking his head.

"I just wanted to give you a little bit of a heads up." Nathan said to him, smiling slightly. "You'll be alright, though. Trust me. I've already been talking with Santa Claus, and it's only September. He's got some big things in store for you."

Jamie nodded at him, looking at him and sighing. "When can I go with you? To games?"

Nathan smiled at him, standing up and moving to sit on the bleachers next to the blacktop, picking up a water bottle and handing it to Jamie, before tapping his hand on the seat next to him. "When you're out for Christmas you can come to one with me. Or maybe on weekends. We'll have to talk to your mom about it."

"Why is she in charge? Why can't you decide?" Jamie questioned, frowning.

"We both decide, Jimmy Jam." Nathan chuckled, looking down at his son. "How's school going?"

"It's going fine." Jamie said, shrugging slightly. "Mama says I'm the smartest kid in the whole world."

"You are." Nathan smiled at him, letting out a deep breath. "I missed you, buddy. A lot. I always miss you."

"I could come live with you forever! I'm already smart, so I don't need school anymore. Maybe I can join the Hornets?" Jamie said, nudging Nathan softly.

"I wish you could." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head and yawning. "How was spending the night at Andre's house?"

"It was fun! He has an older brother, and he's a lot of fun! He played basketball with us." Jamie hummed, looking around the Rivercourt, noticing that Nathan was taking a drink of his water, so he started to drink his own water.

Nathan smiled slightly, ruffling Jamie's hair and letting out a deep breath. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Am I going to have another sibling ever?" Jamie asked him curiously, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan cleared his throat, looking at his son and blinking slowly. "I, uh... I don't know." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"How do I get one? Another sibling?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan choked, looking down at his son. "What?"

"You know... How does it work?" Jamie asked him again, looking up at him expectantly.

"Well... You see, I mean... I... You just..." Nathan trailed off, scratching the back of his head and letting out a deep sigh. "You can ask your mom later. Maybe when after I leave and go back to Charlotte."

"When are you leaving?" Jamie questioned him, frowning.

"Tuesday." Nathan responded, pulling his son into a side hug. "I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could stay. But I'll be back for your talent show?"

"I hate playing the piano." He grumbled in response, shaking his head.

"Don't you want to be as talented as your mom?" Nathan chuckled, ruffling his son's hair. "She's way good at the piano."

"You don't need to play piano when you're in the NBA." Jamie pointed out, shrugging.

Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "Be easy on her, little man. Just play the piano and make her happy."

Jamie eyed his father for a second, before standing up. "So... Mama isn't dating Jesse anymore."

"No, she's not. She hasn't been for awhile." Nathan said, smiling at his son and standing up slowly.

"You don't have a girlfriend, do you?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan looked at him, chuckling and walking over to the basketball laying in the grass, picking it up and tossing it in the air.

"What if you dated her?" Jamie asked him, looking at his father with hopeful eyes.

Nathan smiled at him, "You really would like that, wouldn't you?" He asked, tossing the ball into the hoop.

"I would." Jamie said softly, rushing over to get the ball, throwing it back to Nathan.

"You know that if I dated your mom, we wouldn't be able to give you more than one bowl of ice cream at my house. I wouldn't be able to get away with feeding you pizza for lunch and dinner." Nathan pointed out, shooting it back into the hoop.

"Are we going to have pizza for lunch and dinner tonight?" Jamie asked him, grinning.

"Of course." Nathan chuckled, catching the ball once again. "But we wouldn't be able to do that anymore."

"We could still have one?" Jamie questioned him after a moment, nodding at him.

Nathan chuckled quietly, shrugging. "You would have to go to bed at the time she tells me to put you to bed."

"Would we live together?" Jamie hummed, looking up at him.

"Eventually." Nathan said, smiling at him.

"Then you could start putting me to bed at the right time when we live together." The five year old pointed out.

"You make a free throw, and I'll think about it." Nathan chuckled, spinning the ball in his hand and holding it out to Jamie.

Jamie hurried over, stepping up to the faded free throw line, taking the ball from Nathan and staring up at the hoop. He let out a deep breath, dribbling the ball a couple times before focusing on his goal. He threw it up, watching it with hopeful eyes.

It air balled. Was just an inch or two shy of the rim, even grazing the net on the way down to the blacktop.

Jamie let out a defeated sigh, taking a step back.

Nathan took a brief second to watch his son. He looked pretty crushed. He let out a deep breath, turning his head away and looking back. "Did you make it? Sorry, I got distracted by a bird over there." He said, gesturing towards his car.

Jamie looked up at him with a confused expression, glancing at the ball off to the side, before looking up at the hoop again. "Yep." He said, a grin breaking out on his face. "I made it! When are you going to ask her on a date?"

"Hold on there, I said that I would think about it." Nathan said, holding up his hand. "I have to be careful when it comes to your mom, James. She doesn't like to put up with me."

"It would make me happy if you did it." Jamie pointed out, smiling up at him. "Come on, please!"

"I said I'd think about it." Nathan chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Keep this on the down low, though."

"Do you like-like her?" Jamie teased his father, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan laughed, scooping Jamie up and throwing him over his shoulder. "Do you have a crush on that girl Madison in your class?" He changed the subject, picking up their stuff and heading back to the car.

"Who told you that?!" Jamie blurted out, shaking his head when he was seat in his seat and buckled in by his father.

"My lips are sealed." Nathan responded, getting into the drivers seat. Really, Haley had called him in a panic because Jamie asked if he could have a play date with one of his friends, and she was fairly surprised when it was a girl that was brought over to her house.

"Are you going to ask Mama on a date?"

"I told you that I would think about it! Seriously, kid. Get off my back." Nathan joked, shaking his head. "Let's go get some pizza, you fool."

xxxx

"Why did you guys break up? You're perfect for each other!" Jamie pointed out, taking a big bite of his pizza.

"It's complicated, Jamie." Nathan chuckled, looking at his son. He would never stop asking questions about him and Haley.

"Why?" Jamie asked him, shaking his head.

"We just argued a lot, and my parents were crazy and put a lot of.. Strain on our relationship."

"What does strain mean?"

"They made it hard." Nathan said softly, smiling at his son, looking down at his food. "It was mostly my fault though."

"Where are they? Your mom and dad." Jamie tapped his fingers on the table.

"They don't live here, and I don't talk to them that much." Nathan said, clearing his throat.

"Is it because they made you break up?" He asked, sighing softly.

"My mom and dad... They aren't like me or Mom, Jamie. They were different." Nathan said, smiling sadly at his son. "They weren't like Mom's parents either."

"What made them different?" Jamie questioned his father, blinking slowly.

"You sure are asking a lot of questions today." Nathan chuckled, shrugging. "My mom would go away, and be gone for a really long time. My dad was... Mean to me, I guess you could say. He only liked me when I was doing well in basketball. I quit basketball for a little while in high school to stick it to him, but then I realized that I wasn't playing it for him, I was playing it for me."

Jamie nodded his head slowly, letting out a small sigh. "You're a good dad." He assured his father, smiling at him.

"Thanks, buddy. It means a lot to me that you think so." Nathan said, humming softly and reaching across the table, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"I miss you a lot when you're gone." Jamie said softly, nodding at him.

"I know the feeling, Jamie. Believe me. I miss you all the time." Nathan said, smiling at him and nodding. "Mom tells me that you're going to play on a little league basketball team. That's awesome, Jamie. I can't wait to come see you be amazing. You are a Scott after all, basketball is in your blood."

"Yeah!" Jamie beamed up at him. "Uncle Skills is the coach." He informed him. "And he told me that maybe I can be the team captain if I work hard enough."

Skills' name brought a sour taste into his mouth, nearly causing him to roll his eyes. He didn't want to think about it while he was enjoying spending time with his son though, something he didn't do often enough.

"Yeah? Well from what I saw today, you're awesome." Nathan chuckled, standing up and picking up the pizza box. "Do you want to go see a movie? Or go back to my house and play some playstation with Uncle Clay?"

"Is Aunt Quinn going to be Uncle Clay's girlfriend?" Jamie asked him curiously.

"I don't really know yet. Uncle Clay doesn't really have girlfriends." Nathan said, shrugging. "But maybe."

"I think it would be cool." Jamie informed him, standing up. "Let's go play playstation with Uncle Clay." He said, beginning to rush away to the car.

xxxx

Nathan pressed his face into the pillow below his head, squeezing his eyes shut and letting out a deep breath as Haley's hands kneaded into his back. "You are amazing at this." He groaned, arching his back a bit. "I forgot how good you are at this. I should be paying you."

Haley chuckled quietly, smoothing her hands over the defined muscles in his back. "I'm sure you can find ways to repay me." She whispered, leaning down and nipping at his ear lightly, smiling.

"I look forward to it." He responded, letting out a deep breath, glancing over at the clock.

"So, how did today go? You haven't said much about it." She asked him, rubbing his back. "Jamie wouldn't stop talking to me about it on the phone earlier. I think he had a great time."

"I had so much fun. I miss him so much. Even if it's just a day without him, it feels like I'm being torn in half. Sometimes it's almost unbearable." He said softly, yawning quietly.

She hummed in response, looking down at him. "I know that he looks forward to calling you every night. He wants to call you fifteen thousand times a day." She chuckled, rubbing her hands over his shoulders.

"I should just fly back to Tree Hill every night." He laughed, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"I know I'd like that, but if you stayed up late on a flight, then you'd have to stay up even later with me, of course, and then you'd always be exhausted." She teased him, smiling.

"If you're the one making me exhausted then it's completely worth it." He responded, reaching behind him and grabbing one of her hands, kissing her palm lightly. "He's trying to convince me to ask you on a date."

Haley raised her eyebrows, stilling her hands on his back. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I told him that if he could make a free throw, I'd think about it." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"And did he make it?" She asked him curiously, blinking slowly.

"No." Nathan responded, smiling and glancing over at her once again. "But I couldn't handle the crushed look on his face so I pretended like I didn't see it, and asked him if he made it. Boy lied straight through his teeth."

"And what did you say?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath.

"I told him that I'd think about it." He chuckled, folding his arms under his head. "Oh, and he also asked me how babies are made. I told him to follow up with you after I leave."

"Well thanks for that." Haley groaned, poking his back and rolling her eyes. It was quiet for a moment, before she spoke once again. "We're going to need to tell him soon."

"I agree." Nathan said softly. "But do we tell him first, or do we tell everyone else first? I don't know how to go about it."

"I think we should tell him before anyone else. I'm not saying we tell him tomorrow, but soon." Haley said softly.

"Like I told you last night, Hales... You're it for me." He repeated his words, shrugging slightly.

"But we've said that to each other before, Nathan. That's the thing. We've said it all to each other. It's just... Scary." Haley said, scratching her fingernails lightly over his back.

"But it's different, Haley." He said quickly, shaking his head. "We aren't nineteen year olds who are struggling. We don't have anything to worry about except Jamie or each other."

"You're right, Nathan. You're absolutely right. It's just scary." She said again, biting her lip, and climbing off of him, sitting down next to him.

Nathan sat up quickly, his tone becoming much more hushed. He resting his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Not again." He whispered, nodding at her.

Haley smiled at him, kissing him quickly, chuckling quietly. "That's not what I'm worried about, Nathan." She said, patting his chest lightly. "We're so different, it's easy for us to fight. I'm not worried about you hurting me, or me hurting you. I'm only worried about Jamie. I just don't want anything to happen that will hurt him."

Nathan nodded in response, kissing her again and letting out a deep breath. "I understand that completely, Hales." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "While we're on the subject of us breaking up..." He began, making a face at his word choice and shaking his head. "Jamie asked about Deb and Dan today."

She raised her eyebrows, sighing softly. "What did he ask?"

"Most just about them. What they're like." Nathan responded, shrugging. "I told him that Dan is an kind of, sort of an asshole, and that my mom is a nutjob."

"You didn't use those exact words, correct?" She asked him, chuckling quietly, leaning into his side.

"No. I just said that they were different." He informed her, rolling his eyes. "It reminded me that we need to go to lunch with my mom, so you can scope her out and I can convince her to break up with one of my very good friends."

"Do you really think she's different, Nathan?" Haley asked him quietly, fiddling with his t-shirt that she was wearing.

"I thought she was until she started fooling around with Skills, now I don't know what to think. We better hold off on making lunch plans with Dan, though. I do think that sometimes he tries to be better... But the majority of the time is a cruel dickhead." Nathan grumbled, leaning back against his headboard.

Haley ran her fingers through Nathan's hair, sighing softly. She could see the pain his parents had caused him throughout his life. She could see it in his eyes, despite the front he put up. When they were in high school, her heart broke for him. The majority of the time he climbed through her window, it was because he couldn't handle his parents anymore. He would lay on her bed next to her, and not say a word sometimes, and despite her friend status, she would move in close to him and rub his back to soothe his tense muscles. She always knew when he was at his worst, because he would be the most talkative she'd ever seen him. He would pace around her room and continue to talk nonstop. Almost as if he talked, and talked to block the thoughts out of his head. She would grab his wrist, and pulling him down onto the bed. Most of the time he would just lie next to her and keep his mouth shut after that, but occasionally he would practically lie on top of her, with his head pressed into her chest, and she would get him to talk. Not just the random thoughts that passed through his head, but actually talk. Of course, it was muffled, and sometimes she couldn't make out half of the things he was saying, but she would run her fingers through his hair and listen to him, for as long as he needed to talk. Those were the moments that she realized Nathan Scott was just like everyone else. He got insecure, seeking for approval from his parents, yet he never got it. Her parents were fairly absent, but always acknowledged her accomplishments, referring to her as their "smart child" while Nathan had never gotten more than a "good job, but let me tell you what you did wrong" from his father. He was broken.

She was brought back to reality by his fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt lightly, her gaze flicking to his face. He had a playful twinge to his eyes, but she could still see the pain he felt over his parents. She pulled him close to her, trailing her fingers down his chest.

"Tell me where it hurts, Nathan Scott. Let me kiss the pain away." She whispered, beginning to kiss along his jaw.

Nathan smiled slightly, pulling her closer to him, before responding. "Everywhere."


	21. Chapter 21

**This is actually an idea that I've had for awhile. There're some odd pairs in this chapter, so don't be alarmed.**

 **Chapter 21**

Brooke knocked on Haley's bedroom door loudly, shaking her head. "You need to hurry up, Haley! We're supposed to meet Peyton, Jake, and Lucas!" She yelled.

Haley stepped out of her room, grabbing Brooke's wrist, "Brooke, you need to calm down." She laughed, shaking her head. "You didn't need to pick me up, I told you that I would be fine."

"Yeah, but I wanted to." Brooke hummed, looking around. "Mouth and Jamie are hanging out, he's fine. Let's get going. Your sexy ass needs a break from all the school work you've been grading. You haven't come out with us since Nathan's bar tending thing and that was like a month ago!"

"Brooke, not all of us can just go out whenever we want to. Or whenever you want us too. I have Jamie." Haley chuckled in response, looking down at her outfit. "Now tell me again why you insisted that I wear this dress?"

"Because, I need someone to show off my talent. Peyton is wearing one too." Brooke hummed, looking at her. "You look great, Hales."

"Thank you, my very talented designer friend made it." Haley laughed, smiling at her. "Let me say goodbye to Jamie, and thank Mouth again.."

"Chop, chop, woman!" Brooke laughed, "I'll be in the car." She said, walking down the stairs quickly, waving at Jamie and Mouth before heading out of the house.

Haley rolled her eyes, heading down the stairs after her, walking to the living room. "Jamie Scott, did you finish your homework before you started playing video games?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Come on, Haley. You know I made sure of it." Mouth responded for Jamie, grinning at her.

"Of course you did." She laughed, walking over and kissing Jamie's forehead. "Daddy should be calling in a little while." She said, smiling at him. "Bedtime is eight o'clock. So you have two hours. Don't make a mess."

"You look pretty!" Jamie hummed, standing up and hugging her. "Will you come check on me when you get home?"

"I always do, baby." She responded, ruffling his hair. "Thank you, Mouth. I shouldn't be too late. I don't really like to stay out." She chuckled, nodding at her high school friend, kissing Jamie's head once more, before hurrying out to the car.

xxxx

"So... I may have left out a little bit of information." Brooke began, clearing her throat and looking over at Haley as she pulled up in front of a place that definitely wasn't Tric.

Haley raised her eyebrows, blinking slowly. "Brooke..."

"We're going to dinner." Brooke hummed, nodding at her. "Get out of the car, Tutor girl." She said, smiling slightly.

"What are you up to, Brooke?" Haley frowned, getting out of the car.

"Well, you and Jesse have been broken up for awhile..." Brooke began, rubbing her neck.

"Brooke..." Haley trailed off, shaking her head. "Tell me I'm not being set up."

"Well... Maybe a little. But it's okay. He's super cute." Brooke hummed, linking their arms together. "He's co-designing my men's line. And he has this sexy accent. Perfect for you."

Haley shook her head. Nathan wouldn't like this, that's for sure. But what could she do? She'd need a valid excuse, and this was not the way she wanted to tell Brooke about her and Nathan. She let out a deep breath, "I don't know about this, Brooke..."

"It will be fun. Dinner and a movie. It's a group date. Just to see if you have chemistry. Maybe you'll have fun together, and I can be your maid of honor at your wedding." Brooke said, waving her hand around. "I don't know. I'm thinking big. If you don't have a good time, then I won't give him your phone number. But if you're having a great time, and want us to cut out early... Then we can. I've already cleared it with everyone. Well... Almost everyone. It will be fine. I hope. I don't know, Haley. Let's go inside."

Haley bit her lip nervously, letting Brooke pull her inside, looking around and shaking her head. She saw Lucas sitting at a table, with eight chairs set up, four on each side of the table. He looked fairly uncomfortable, Millicent, Brooke's assistant sitting diagonal of him on one side, while the blonde haired man she assumed to be her date sitting a chair down from her, diagonal to Lucas' other side. The two chairs at the end of the table were empty.

Brooke frowned, letting go of Haley's arm and rushing ahead of her, sitting down next to Lucas. "Lucas Scott, where the hell are Peyton and Jake?"

"Peyton just called, they couldn't make it." He said, clearing his throat.

"Well, this is about to put us in the most uncomfortable-" Brooke stopped herself, standing up again and shaking her head and walking back over to Haley, guiding her over to the table. "Haley, this is Alexander Coyne. Alexander, this is Haley James." She said, gesturing between the two of them.

Alexander stood up, smiling and nodding at her. "Haley. It's lovely to meet you. I've heard so much about you over the past... Two hours." He chuckled.

Haley smiled at him politely, nodding at him. "It's nice to meet you as well. I've heard so much about you over the past two minutes." She responded, allowing him to guide her around the table, letting out a deep breath as his hand rested on her lower back. Thankfully, Brooke figured it would be best to sit her next to Lucas to make things a little more comfortable for her.

She thanked Alexander for pulling out her chair for her, sending him a small smile, watching him move to sit across the table from her.

Brooke sat down across from Lucas, between Alexander and Millicent. She nodded at Millie. "Millie, you remember Haley." She began, looking over at Haley.

"It's nice to see you again, Haley." Millicent said, smiling at her.

"You too." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "You look so cute. I love your dress."

"Clothes over Bro's." Brooke cut in, smirking at her. "I guess I love to endorse myself."

"Brooke Davis loves to show herself off." Alexander said, smiling at Brooke. "Almost as much as her mother does."

"My mother, likes to show off my clothes and the money we make. Not me." Brooke said, sighing softly. "Never mind. Let's not talk about it."

Lucas smiled at her, shaking his head. "So it looks like Peyton and Jake couldn't make it." He said, looking over at Haley.

"Is everything okay?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I don't know." Lucas said, bouncing his leg up and down, looking at Brooke. "Did Brooke tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Haley frowned at him, looking at Brooke, before her gaze move back to Lucas.

"Lucas, don't." Brooke said, waving her hand. "Nothing, Haley. This is going to be a fun night."

"What's going on?" Haley asked, looking at Alexander.

Alexander shook his head, "I honestly have no clue." He said, looking over at Brooke.

"Look, Haley. Peyton and Jake were supposed to be here to make it less awkward, but Millicent's date is-" Lucas began, being cut off by someone walking up to the table.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, there was some crazy traffic and I-" Nathan stopped, realizing that Haley was sitting at the table, across from some blonde dude. "What are you doing here?"

Haley looked up at him, before looking at Millicent, then back at Nathan. "Oh." She said, letting out a deep breath. This situation just became a lot messier. Well, at least she wouldn't have to explain to Nathan how she ended up going on a date with Brooke's co-designer.

"Nathan Scott." Alexander said, standing up and shaking his hand quickly. "Very excited for the season. You guys are doing excellent so far."

Nathan cleared his throat, nodding at him. "Thanks, appreciate it. And, um... You are?" He asked, flicking his gaze back to Haley.

"Alexander Coyne." Alexander responded, smiling at him.

"You watch basketball?" Brooke asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I can watch basketball and design clothes. You do it." Alexander responded, scowling slightly at her.

Brooke stuck her tongue out at him, standing up and pulling Nathan into a hug. "Hey Nate! Good game last night." She said, nodding at him.

"Thanks Brooke. What exactly is going on here?" He asked, looking over at Lucas.

"Well... I know it isn't your style. But this is my assistant, Millicent. She's amazing, and cute, and smart." Brooke hummed, gesturing towards Millie, who stood up.

"Yeah, I believe we've met before." Nathan said, nodding at her. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too." Millie said, clearing her throat and shifting nervously.

"We were all supposed to go on a quadruple date, like we would do in high school. But Peyton and Jake bailed." Brooke said, shaking her head. "So it's the six of us."

Nathan shifted his eyes to Haley, then to Alexander. "So... This is a date." He finished, letting out a deep breath, fiddling with his shirt collar. "I thought it was weird that you told me to dress nice." He said, his gaze finally landing on Millicent once again. "Well, you look nice." He managed, sending her a small smile and pulling out her chair for her to sit back down, before taking a seat across from her on the opposite side of Lucas that Haley was sitting on.

"You said that you weren't going to be home until tomorrow." Haley said slowly, nodding at Nathan.

"Yeah." Nathan said, rubbing his neck. "I was going to have dinner with Brooke and Lucas, then surprise Jamie." He said, avoiding Haley's eye contact, keeping his gaze on the table cloth.

"Who is Jamie?" Alexander asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Jamie is my son." Haley said, tapping her fingers on the table and smiling slightly. "Our son." She said, gesturing over to Nathan.

"Brooke never mentioned that." Alexander said, looking over at Nathan briefly. "I wasn't aware that you two used to be together."

Lucas looked at Brooke, shaking his head. "Brooke, I told you this was a bad idea." He grumbled, letting out a deep sigh.

Brooke kicked Lucas under the table. "Lucas, hush." She said, looking at Millicent, then looking at Nathan. "It's fine."

"It really is fine, Lucas." Haley said, smiling at him. She held out her phone with a picture of Jamie to Alexander. "We're fine."

"Yeah, Luke." Nathan agreed, eyeing Haley's phone and sighing softly. She was probably just as bombarded with this as he was, but she didn't need to be throwing their son in this guy's face. It wasn't his business.

Brooke clapped her hands together, "See. It's fine. Now that we got that conversation out of the way. Why don't you try and get to know each other while Lucas and I eavesdrop?"

Haley chuckled quietly, letting out a small sigh. She would have much rather been surprised by Nathan in a different setting, but it was their own fault. Brooke had no idea about the two of them. She shifted her gaze to Alexander. He was cute. Nice eyes, probably pretty fit. And his accent was great, but she wasn't attracted to him. Especially given that her boyfriend was sitting just at the same table as her, talking to another girl. Maybe if her and Nathan weren't together, she could see herself thanking Brooke thousands of times right now. But Millicent and Nathan? Millie was gorgeous, of course. But there was a lot more to her than just that. Her and Nathan seemed like an odd pair.

"So, your son's name is Jamie. Is that short for something?" Alexander asked, handing the phone back to her. "Cute kid."

"His name is James. James Lucas." She hummed, looking over at Lucas for a brief second, seeing a smile pinned to his face.

"Brooke failed to mention that you have a son. Well, she did keep referring to a Jamie, I suppose. But it never clicked." Alexander laughed, nodding at her.

"Yeah, he's sort of my life." Haley said, smiling at the thought of her son, glancing over at Nathan.

Nathan looked at Millicent, smiling slightly. "So, I guess we're on a date." He said, nodding at her. He felt awkward. He was usually very smooth when it came to women, but there was no chance in hell he was going to give off any type of romantic vibe with the girl of his dreams sitting at the other end of the table.

"I'm sorry if this was sprung on you." Millicent said, sending Brooke a dirty look, who just waved and shrugged. "You don't need to stay, you can go to your son. Who, by the way... Is like the cutest kid on earth. Brooke brings him into the store sometimes and he just says and does the most adorable things."

"Oh, it's no trouble." Nathan said, grinning. "I can see him tomorrow. Really, don't worry about it."

"So... You play basketball? Professionally?" Millicent asked, smiling at him.

"Millie!" Brooke groaned, shaking her head. "How dare you not know that?"

"Yes, I do." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes at Brooke. "Can it, Davis. Go listen to the conversation at the other end."

"For the... What is it, the bobcats?" Millicent questioned him, smiling slightly.

"Used to be the Bobcats. It's the Hornets now." He informed her, relaxing back against his chair. "And what do you do, exactly? With Brooke?"

"I basically just bring her coffee and double as her therapist." She joked, shaking her head.

"Not even close to true, Nathan. Millie, let me tell you how wrong you are-"

"Brooke, quiet. I'm on a date." Nathan said, gesturing to Millie. "Jokes about Brooke. I respect that."

"I'm starting to think that Nathan is going to bring the wild side out of her. Not good." Brooke grumbled, looking at Lucas.

Haley nearly choked on her drink, glancing down the table, watching a laughing Nathan and Millie. What the hell? Were they actually... Clicking? Did they have chemistry? Was there flirting happening on the other side of the table? She shook her head. No. Nathan was funny. Sort of. He was just telling jokes. This was an awful idea. She should have just found a way out of it. Millie and Alexander could be on a date with each other and her and Nathan could be at one of their houses.

"I'm starving." Lucas said, letting out a deep breath. "What's the point of having Brooke and Nathan here if we don't get special treatment?" He joked, shaking his head.

"That's the only reason I ever go anywhere with Nathan." Haley hummed, smiling over at Nathan.

Brooke shifted her gaze between Haley and Nathan, before making eye contact with Lucas. "Yeah, because why would anyone want to hang out with Nathan?"

"I don't need this." Nathan groaned, shaking his head. "I have a lot of friends. I don't know how I became the one that you guys make fun of the most."

"It's because you're gone the most. And you do things like Rainstorm Body Spray." Lucas hummed, tapping his fingers on the table.

"You're the Rainstorm Body Spray guy?" Millie asked, raising her eyebrows. "Wow. I guess I'm not as well informed about you as Alexander was."

"Don't hold me accountable for the things you see me do in those commercials." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "So, tell me, Millicent, what is it that you usually do on a Friday night?"

"Well, usually I'd be home right now, most likely eating cookie dough and watching a movie." She responded, smiling at him.

"Sounds like a crazy night." He chuckled, crossing his arms and nodding at her.

"Wild." Millicent responded, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

Nathan smiled at her, chuckling quietly. He shifted his gaze over to Haley for a brief moment, making eye contact with her before looking away. The girl in front of him was kind, and beautiful. But this was an awful idea on Lucas and Brooke's part. Even if they didn't know about the two of them dating now, who the hell tries to plan a date and have two people that were previously engaged there with other people? It was just a weird situation. He normally was not the jealous type. With his previous girlfriends, he could care less if another guy was hitting on them, as long as nothing else happened. But Haley was completely different. So different, that when he realized what was going on, the first thought in his head was 'I could take that guy.' He wanted nothing more than to step in, and to tell Alexander that Haley was not available.

After a few more minutes of semi-awkward conversation, they finally ordered their food. Haley smiled slightly as Nathan ordered Mac and cheese, something that definitely did not go unnoticed by Brooke. When she questioned him about it, he played it of like he was going to bring the leftovers to Jamie, which seemed to satisfy her.

"Nate, you're killing it so far." Lucas said, clearing his throat and smiling at his younger brother. "I mean, the Hornets are doing great. But you are doing awesome."

Nathan chuckled, crossing his arms and nodding at him. "I try not to brag, but..." He joked, shaking his head. "I'm not doing anything different. Just training hard and pushing myself."

"I'm pretty sure last night was one of the best games of your career." Lucas informed him, nodding. "Brooke was standing on the couch, screaming at the TV, she was so excited."

Nathan's head snapped over to Brooke, smirking slightly. "Is that true?"

"Okay, I may have been a little excited. It was a good game." Brooke chuckled, shrugging.

"Jamie wouldn't fall asleep for hours after it." Haley hummed, smiling over at Nathan. "He was up until almost midnight, coming into my room and asking me if he could watch the highlights again. I should have let Quinn take him with her."

"Well, I play those games for him." Nathan said, smiling slightly and shrugging.

"What were your stats?" Alexander asked, raising his eyebrows.

"40 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, and six steals." Nathan responded, rubbing his neck.

"He was on fire." Lucas said, fist bumping his younger brother. "Hitting shots from everywhere."

"That's amazing." Alexander agreed, shaking his head. "I wish you the best for the rest of your season."

"When are we going to get those free tickets, Nate?" Brooke asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I give you the option to come to any game, Brooke. I have one against the Knicks next week, if you'll be in New York." Nathan said, tugging on his shirt collar.

"We'll both be in New York!" Brooke hummed, gesturing to herself and Millie. "Maybe we can both go. Alexander too, if he wants."

Millie did not seem enthusiastic about that at all. Nathan could tell by the forced smile on her face. She must not be a big sports fan.

"I was hoping you could bring Jamie." Nathan said, smiling over at Brooke. "He hasn't been to a game all season. I keep trying to get Haley to bring him."

"Why don't all five of us go? Me, Millie, Alexander, Haley, and Jamie?" Brooke suggested, winking at him. "I suppose you could come too, Luke."

"You suppose." Lucas chuckled, shaking his head.

"That could be fun." Alexander agreed, nodding at Brooke.

Nathan felt his blood boil. If he wanted his family to be hanging out with Alexander, he would have suggested it. He had to remind himself that no one at the table knew about him and Haley though, and that Alexander genuinely thought that he was on a date with Haley.

"I'll see if I can set aside some tickets." Nathan agreed, clenching his fist under the table, smiling slightly. "But if you can't make it, there's no worry."

"I've never been to a professional basketball game before." Millie said, nodding at him. "It might be fun." She said politely.

Haley inwardly rolled her eyes. This was difficult. She really liked Millie. She thought she was great. But she didn't like this situation. She didn't like the way it was making her feel towards Millie. She thought she could handle this. She was on a date, Nathan was on a date, but he would end up with her at the end of the night. But it was harder than expected. She could hardly focus on anything that Alexander was saying, despite her nodding along with him. She was too busy trying to eavesdrop on Nathan.

This was going to be a long night.

xxxx

Haley swore that she would have been much more scared of the movie playing, but she could hardly pay attention due to the fact that Millicent was terrified and kept pressing her face into Nathan's shoulder, or gripping his forearm in fear. Thankfully, he never did anything to comfort her, but he would chuckle a little bit and glance down at her. This was not a good date, at all.

So when Nathan stood up and left the movie theater, claiming that he was going to go get more popcorn, Haley jumped at the opportunity when he didn't return for a few minutes.

She stood up, saying something about being right back, a heading out quickly. Okay, so this probably wasn't the best idea. But she was tired of seeing Millie all over Nathan, which was a complete over exaggeration. She stepped out of the theater, her gaze shifting around the foyer. There wasn't a single person, minus the people working behind the counter, but they weren't paying attention to her.

Haley's eyes connected with Nathan's when he walked out of the bathroom, letting out a deep breath. She rushed over to him quickly, glancing over her shoulder, noting that they were still not paying attention to them.

Nathan blinked in confusion, looking down at Haley when she grabbed his shirt, pulling him into the women's bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind her.

"The women's bathroom, Haley? Come on." He groaned, shaking his head.

Haley wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down and kissing him deeply, closing her eyes and relaxing against him.

He smiled against her lips, resting his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him, backing her up against the door.

She gripped his shirt, hitching her leg up around his waist, her hands moving to tangle in his hair.

Nathan smirked slightly, pulling away for a second, looking down at her. "I missed you."

"Does this seem like a time that I want to talk, Nathan?" Haley chuckled, looking up at him. "I missed you too, but come on."

Nathan laughed, nodding his head. "Oh, so this is one of those meetings?" He winked at her, rubbing his hand up her side.

She looked up at him, letting out a deep breath and shaking her head. "No, we can't. Not right now."

"I can be quick!" Nathan said, tilting her chin up and beginning to kiss down her neck.

"Not fast enough. You've already been gone for a couple minutes." Haley chuckled, kissing his head lightly. "I missed you so much." She whispered, letting out a deep breath.

"You're a tease." He grumbled, looking down at her.

She smiled at him, brushing her lips over his briefly, fiddling with his shirt collar. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I just haven't seen you in nine days, and I stopped thinking about where we are, and what we're doing."

Nathan rested his forehead on hers, letting his hand come to a stop on her waist. "Definitely not my plans for the night." He said quietly, pulling her closer to him. "I swear, I didn't know about this. I thought it was just going to be me, Brooke, and Lucas."

"I didn't know about it either." She said, sighing softly, smoothing her hands down his chest. "This is getting more difficult. I want to be on a date with you."

"I'll take you on a date." He said quickly, nodding and brushing his thumbs over her sides. "I'll take you anywhere in the whole entire world. Paris, Rome, London, anywhere you want to go."

Haley wrapped her arms tighter around him, letting out a deep breath. "Right now... I just really want to go home. With you."

Nathan smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "The women's bathroom is a lot more romantic than the men's." He joked, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'll take you home soon, baby." He said softly, nodding. "But until then... We should probably get back to the uncomfortableness."

"You're right." Haley sighed, nodding at him in return. "Do me a favor though, Nathan."

"Hm?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

She smiled up at him, resting her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone. She was so lucky to have him. He was very quickly becoming everything to her once again. Her rock. He meant warmth, safety, and comfort.

"Will you please stop being so damn sexy? I mean, I can't deal with her hiding in your shoulder." She chuckled, poking him in the shoulder lightly. "Or squeezing your forearms." She grumbled, lifting up his arm.

Nathan laughed, kissing her softly. "I'll do my best." He hummed, winking at her. "Movie should be over in forty minutes, think you can handle being away from me for that long, or do you want to switch seats with Lucas?"

"Very funny." She said, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down into another kiss. "Let me make sure it's clear before you go. Don't forget your popcorn." She hummed, poking her head out the door, before looking at him and nodding. "Go."

She let out a deep breath as Nathan rushed out of the bathroom, smiling slightly. She sure as hell couldn't wait for this date to be over.

xxxx

Nathan walked Millicent to her hotel room door, smiling slightly and keeping his hands shoved into his pockets. "This was fun." He said casually. "A date getting over at ten o'clock is a job well done. Enough time to sleep, no overstaying my welcome. I can get very annoying."

Millie laughed quietly, nodding t him. "I wasn't going to say anything, but,,." She joked, smiling at him. "No, it was fun. I agree."

"Yeah." He said, kicking his foot at the ground when they broke into an awkward silence. "I really can't believe you don't like basketball."

"Hey! I do like... Okay, so I don't really care about it at all. But you probably don't care much about clothes." Millicent said, shaking her head.

"Okay, okay. No need to be nasty." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "It was nice seeing you again. I'm sure I've met you loads of times, but I don't know if I've ever really taken the time to talk to you."

"Thank you for a fun night, Nathan." Millicent said, resting her hand on her doorknob. "You know have fun with your son tomorrow."

"I will." He said, nodding at her. "Have a good weekend, Millie." He said, rubbing the back of his head and taking a small step back. "I'm sure I'll see you again."

Millicent nodded her head, sending him one more small smile, before she escaped into her hotel room.

Nathan let out a breath of relief, thankful that she hadn't expected more out of him, not that she thought he would. Millie was very nice, and she was being polite the whole night, but he could tell she didn't want to do this, almost as much as she didn't want to. He just hoped that Haley was having a similar front door experience. No attempted kisses, hopefully not as much as a hug. Haley had admitted her jealousy to him previously that night, but he had said nothing to her about his own feelings. He was honestly feeling a little angry at Brooke and Lucas. They needed to stop meddling. He did have fun, but he would have preferred a short dinner with his brother and sister-in-law, then gone home and played with his son. Unfortunately, he would not be able to see Jamie until the following day. Nine days without seeing his family was far too long. Nine days without holding Haley, or making Jamie laugh. He'd even missed Quinn a little bit, and seeing her last night definitely made him ready to be home. He glanced at the clock, smiling brightly. It was still fairly early, just after ten. There was still plenty of the night left, and he was finally glad to be spending it with the right girl. The only girl.

He pulled into Haley's driveway a short while later, smiling at the dark house. She'd probably rushed whoever was watching Jamie out of the house quickly, and gotten ready for bed. She was perfect, and amazing. Everything. He wasn't even with her yet, and his heart was thumping in his chest. He let out a deep breath, brushing his fingers through his hair, hurrying into her house and heading up her stairs, beginning to unbutton his shirt. He pushed open the door to her bedroom, a small smirk on his face at the sound of the water running in the bathroom. Nathan threw his bag on the bed quickly, slipping his shirt off his shoulders and walking into the bathroom quietly, listening to the sound of his girl's quiet humming for a moment, before he quickly shed the rest of his clothes, climbing into the shower behind her.

Haley jumped slightly, before relaxing back against Nathan's body, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "Hey." She whispered, biting down on her bottom lip lightly.

He grinned at her, hooking his arms tightly around her waist. "This is too good to be true, Haley James. This is like it was taken out of the sexiest movie of all time. You know, despite the fact that we were both on dates with other people less than forty minutes ago."

"Mm..." Haley hummed, rubbing her hands over his forearms lightly, intertwining her fingers with one of his hands, lifting it up and kissing his knuckle lightly. "How was it?"

"I dropped her off fairly quickly. She didn't seem too into me." He mumbled, kissing the spot underneath her ear.

"Alexander and I didn't have a great connection. I guess I'll just have to stick with you." She teased him, letting out a quiet breath.

"Oh, good." He chuckled, sucking on her skin lightly. "Nine days, Haley James. I'm not sure I can stand another second of it." He chuckled, whipping her around, taking a minute to admire her as the hot water and steam surrounded them. "You know, the last time we had sex in the shower was a little over four years ago, and we were screaming at each other beforehand."

Haley looked up at him, throwing her arms around his neck and standing on her toes, pressing a light kiss to his collar bone. "I remember." She said softly, lightly scratching her fingernails over his shoulder blades.

"That was the last time we had sex before we broke up." Nathan informed her, lightly trailing his fingers down her back, letting out a deep breath.

Haley could feel his hot breath on her neck, her eyelids fluttering shut. "Mm..." She confirmed, biting her lip. He had so much power over her, she could feel her knees starting to buckle.

"What do you say we make some more memories, Haley James? We have hours." Nathan said, tugging her closer to him.

"I don't think you even have to ask me that, Nathan Scott." She replied back, pulling him down and kissing him deeply.

xxxx

Haley rested her hand on Nathan's chest, listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat, quietly drumming her fingers on his stomach to the rhythm of it, a content smile on her face.

"I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go on a date with anyone else ever again. Or maybe I'll have to, if you jump my bones like this every time." Nathan chuckled, kissing the top of her head and smirking.

"Jump my bones is not a sexy term." Haley laughed, cuddling further into his warmth. It wasn't particularly cold outside, and it never got to be super cold, but Nathan was always warm, and it almost always felt nice to be next to him under the covers, basking in the heat that radiated off of him.

"When you say it, it is." He responded, laughing quietly and glancing at the clock. It was just after midnight now. He rubbed his hand over her back, tracing his fingers over the small over back where his jersey number was inked into her skin.

"What are you thinking about, Nathan?" Haley asked him quietly, lifting her head up a little bit.

Nathan weighed his options in his head, staring up at the ceiling for a moment, before finally speaking. "I have to go."

She shot up quickly, lifting the sheets up with her. "Go? Go where?" She asked him, frowning.

"I have some things that I need to take care of at home. I thought I would have more time today, but I don't, so now I need to leave." He chuckled, sitting up slowly.

Haley frowned, resting her hand on his cheek and guiding his lips to hers. "Why?"

"Because, I have to." He laughed, standing up slowly, beginning to put his clothes on as he found them. He walked over to her, leaning down and kissing her forehead briefly. "I had so much fun tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, cupping her jaw and kissing her once more, before hurrying out of the room.

Haley frowned, running her fingers through her hair with a confused expression. Why the hell was he acting so weird all of the sudden?


	22. Chapter 22

**I hope that you like this chapter! There is a bit of drama.**

 **Chapter 22**

Haley lifted her head up, looking over at the clock and groaning. Her head was pounding, and her throat was sore. It was just after eight, and Jamie would most likely be waking her up soon. She shivered, tugging the blankets tighter around her and sitting up and looking at the empty bed next to her, biting down on her bottom lip. She coughed into her sleeve, sighing heavily and standing up slowly. She walked to her closet, pulling one of Nathan's sweatshirts out of it and pulling it one, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. She felt awful.

She quickly walked back over to her bed, crawling under the covers once again, biting down on her bottom lip, reaching over and grabbing her phone off the night stand, attempting to call Nathan.

"Hey this is Nathan, leave a message. Or not."

Haley groaned at his voicemail, letting out a small sigh and rubbing her head. "Nathan, I need you to come pick up Jamie as soon as possible. I'm sick." She grumbled into the phone, dropping it to the side.

It didn't take long for Jamie to come running into her room and jump up onto her bed. "Hey Mama." He whispered, lifting up the covers from over her head.

Haley looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Hey baby. Why don't you go downstairs and then I'll come down and get you some breakfast?" She suggested, sniffling quietly.

He looked down at her, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah! Did you have a fun night?"

She nodded in response, "Yes, I did. But Mommy isn't feeling well today, so Daddy is going to come pick you up and take you to his house, alright?"

Jamie rested his cold hand on her forehead like she would do when he was sick, a concentrated look on his face. "Yeah, you feel warm." He said, nodding his head at her.

Haley couldn't help but laugh. He probably had no idea what he was talking about. "Go downstairs. And you're going to need to stay away from me, baby. I'm sick." She said, letting out a deep breath, watching him run out of the room.

She tried to call Nathan several more times, before finally giving up, laying back against the headboard of her bed. "Come on, Nathan." She grumbled, biting her lip. She eventually selected Brooke's name in her phone, closing her eyes.

"Haley!" Brooke hummed into the phone.

"Hey Brooke, I'm a little surprised that you're awake." Haley chuckled, smiling and letting out a deep breath.

"Oh, Haley, you sound stuffed up. Are you okay?" Brooke asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Haley responded, biting her lip. "I'm just a little sick. I think I have a fever."

Brooke was silent for a solid minute, before finally answering. "That's not good."

"Yeah. Nathan's not answering his phone, and I was hoping that you or Lucas could come pick up Jamie. I don't want him to get sick." Haley informed her, rubbing her forehead, coughing quietly.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll be there to pick him up in a little bit." Brooke hummed, letting out a deep breath. "So, did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah, it was great." Haley responded, glancing at the door of her bedroom, standing up slowly.

"Alexander had a good time. You didn't call me afterwards." Brooke said to her, sighing quietly.

"Yeah, I was pretty exhausted." Haley bit her lip, setting her phone on the bed, removing the sweatshirt from around her, dropping it on her bed, finding one of her own jackets and pulling it on.

"So, get this." Brooke laughed into the phone. "The reason I set up Millie with Nathan was because she told me to set her up with my "hot, fit, friend" and of course, I assumed that was Nathan." She began, laughing again.

Haley raised her eyebrows, picking up her phone and taking it off speaker. "Hot, fit, friend. Sounds a whole lot like Nathan." She agreed, chuckling quietly.

"Last night, she called me and guess what? She was talking about Mouth!" Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "She had a good time with Nathan, of course. But she wanted to go on a date with Marvin McFadden. She'd never met him until he came into my store a week ago."

Haley let out a sigh of relief. Millie didn't want to date Nathan. Good. "They would be cute." She hummed, sniffling quietly and heading down the stairs.

"I think so too! I'm going to set her up with him soon, if you're looking for another date with Alexander." Brooke agreed.

"I had fun, but I'm not too sure about him." Haley said quietly, letting out a deep breath. "Why don't you get back to me when I can think clearly without a pounding headache?"

"Yeah, okay. Alright." Brooke said softly. "I'll be at your house in ten, okay?"

"Sounds good, thank you so much, Brooke." Haley hummed, hanging up the phone and letting out a deep breath. She found Jamie watching cartoons, laughing at the TV.

"Hey buddy. Aunt Brooke is coming over to get you and take you to breakfast. Daddy isn't answering his phone right now, so I think he's probably still asleep. But she'll take you over there once he does." Haley said, smiling at him and biting her lip.

Jamie frowned slightly, looking up at her. "He's not going to pick me up?" He asked, sighing softly.

"No, not yet. But he'll get you from Brooke and Lucas." She said, nodding at him. "I love you, little one."

"I love you too, Mama." He responded, smiling at her. "I hope you feel better."

"I'm sure I'll feel better by tomorrow, and we can eat dinner as a family." She said, humming softly. "I wish I could give you a big, bear hug. But I don't want you to get sick."

Jamie laughed, nodding in response and looking at the TV.

"Did you have fun with Mouth last night?" Haley asked, sniffling and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yeah!" Jamie hummed to her, glancing over at her. "We played games all night. Did you have fun?"

Haley nodded at him, "I did have fun. But I missed you. I always miss you."

"I know, I miss you too." Jamie said, grinning at her.

She let out a deep breath, turning her focus back to the TV. It wasn't long before the front door opened and closed, and Brooke walked into the living room.

"Jamie Scott! Go get in my car right now. Pajama party at our house." Brooke hummed, walking over and kissing his head. "Nothing but breakfast food all day long."

"Yay!" Jamie grinned, waving at Haley, "Bye Mama! I love you!" He hummed, rushing out of the house.

Haley stood up, smiling at Brooke. "Thank you so much, Brooke." She said, letting out a deep breath. "I owe you."

"Yeah, you do." Brooke said, crossing her arms and eyeing her.

Haley frowned slightly, looking at Brooke and raising one eyebrow. "Nathan will probably want to pick him up later today, you can just tell him to bring Jamie's clothes."

"Nathan won't be picking him up today." Brooke responded, shaking her head.

"He'll probably want to see him." Haley said, clearing his throat. Brooke was acting... Cold.

"No, he won't. Because Lucas and I were just over there before you called me and who would have guessed that Nathan asked us to bring us some medicine because he's cold, and coughing, and feverish." Brooke said, narrowing her eyes at her.

Haley shifted slightly, looking at Brooke and letting out a deep breath. "Brooke..." She began.

"And I called Millicent, and Alexander. And guess what? They're fine. Nothing is wrong with them, they were just upset that I woke them up." Brooke snapped to her, shaking her head.

"Brooke, I..." Haley began again, trying to find the words to say.

"No, Haley. I asked you several times! Hell, you went on a date with a random guy while your boyfriend was sitting on the other end of the table! Just so I wouldn't find out." Brooke said, shaking her head quickly. "I'm not an idiot, Haley. I see the glances, and the casual touches."

Haley let out a deep breath, looking at her long time friend. "Brooke, I'm sorry." She said, coughing into her sleeve. "You knew?" She asked her quietly.

"I think that the only person that hasn't guessed that there was something going on was Jamie." Brooke said, sighing softly. "I can't believe you, Haley. After everything we've been through, I expected more. I thought you would eventually tell me. Especially after I set you up last night. You really didn't want to tell me that badly?"

"I know, I should have told you right away." Haley said softly, tearing her gaze from Brooke's and looking down. "You were just so against it, and I-"

"Thought it would be better to lie to me and hide this from me." Brooke grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Haley. I love you, you're one of my favorite people in the whole world, okay? I just expected you to be honest."

"Brooke, I'm sorry." Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, well it's a little late for that. I'll call you tomorrow to see if you're feeling better. Bye, Haley." Brooke said, shaking her head and walking out of the house.

Haley let out a deep sigh, falling back down on the couch, biting down on her bottom lip. This was definitely not the way that she wanted Brooke to find out.

xxxx

Haley quietly stepped into Nathan's house, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a small sigh. She slowly made her way up to his bedroom, raising her eyebrows at the mess in his room. There were shoe boxes everywhere, clothes all over the place. Her gaze landed on his sleeping form, the covers pulled over his head. She smiled slightly, walking over and climbing into bed next to him, watching him lift up his head slowly and removed the bed spread from over top of it.

"Hales?" He asked her in a hoarse voice, clearing his throat.

"Hey handsome." Haley whispered, brushing her thumb over his jaw lightly. She rested her hand on his forehead, letting out a small sigh at his fever. "You're sick."

He nodded his head slowly, scooting closer to her. "Where's Jamie?" He asked her softly.

"Lucas and Brooke's house." She responded, resting her hand on his arm. "I wonder if I got you sick, or if you got me sick." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

He lifted up his head, sending her a small smile. "Well, you look a lot healthier than me, your immune system has probably been fighting it for days. It was probably you." He said softly, pulling her closer to him. "I can hardly tell that you're sick."

"You're too kind." Haley said softly, sliding her hands into his shirt, pressing them against his warm skin. "I'm freezing."

Nathan smiled at her, rubbing his hands up and down her back quickly in an attempt to warm her up, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "What's wrong?" He asked her quietly, attempting to sooth her tense body.

Haley fell back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "We messed up, Nathan." She said quietly, coughing and shaking her head.

He raised one eyebrow, propping his head up and resting his hand on her stomach. "What do you mean?" He asked her softly.

"This. Us." She said, gesturing between the two of them. "What were we thinking?"

Nathan frowned, looking at her. "What?" He asked, sighing heavily.

"No, no. Sorry. That's not how it meant that." Haley said, picking up his hand and kissing his knuckles. "We shouldn't have hidden this from people."

He looked down at her, letting out a breath of relief, gripping her sweatshirt pocket lightly. "Haley... What happened?" He asked her softly.

"Brooke knows. Probably everyone else knows too." She responded, looking up at him. "She set us up last night to tell her, and we didn't." She said quietly. "We've been doing this for a couple months, Nathan. We should've told people by now."

Nathan looked down at her, pressing a light kiss to her forehead, falling on his back as well, staring up at the ceiling. "What did she say to you?"

"She was acting weird when she came to my house to pick up Jamie, and I just ignored it. Then I said something about you, and she mentioned how you were sick as well and I could just tell that she knew." She said, closing her eyes. "And now I feel like a bad friend."

He looked over at her, joining their hands, giving hers a comforting squeeze. "She'll get over it. Once she sees how happy you are, she'll get over it." He assured her.

She sighed, looking at him. "I guess we should tell people now." She said, scooting over to him, throwing her leg over his waist, resting her head on his chest. "I feel horrible. In general."

Nathan looked down at her, slowly beginning to rub his hand up and down her back, sighing softly. "Go back to sleep, Hales." He said quietly. "Stop thinking so much, and just be sick. You're making it hard for me to be sick." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I need to be over this by Monday."

She pressed a soft kiss to his chest, scooting closer to him. "I'll try." She whispered, looking up at him. "Are you cold?"

"A little." He mumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "I hate being sick." He groaned, tugging the blankets higher over them.

Haley rubbed his arm lightly, closing her eyes, sinking into him. "You have to sleep too, baby. If you get too cold I can go find you another blanket." She said softly.

He chuckled, nodding at her. "Alright, I may end up taking you up on that offer." He hummed, coughing quietly.

Haley rubbed her hand soothingly over his chest, letting out a deep sigh. She tried to just let herself relax and be with Nathan, but between her pounding headache and her concern for Brooke, it was difficult. She could tell that Nathan was nearly asleep, he probably didn't care much that Brooke found out the way she did. Him and Brooke rarely saw eye to eye on things, despite the fact that they'd known each other forever. Haley knew that Brooke would be against their relationship, but she still should've told her. It was just fragile at first, and eventually... They never felt like it was the time to tell anyone. They always said that it was getting close to the time, but never reached it. Brooke shouldn't have tried to force it out of them by setting them up on random dates, but they should've been honest with her, and with all their friends.

"Nathan?" She said softly, stilling her hand on his chest and looking up at him.

"Hm?" Nathan mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.

"What are we going to tell Jamie?" She asked him quietly.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly, pulling her close to him and shivering a bit. "We'll figure it out." He mumbled, rubbing her back lightly.

Haley sighed, kissing his jaw softly, laying her head back down on him. "Okay." She said, gripping his shirt and closing her eyes once again.

Nathan chuckled after a few minutes, blinking his eyes open and looking down at her. "Would you just go to sleep, Haley? I can't relax with you stressing out. Brooke will get over it. She needs to mind her own damn business."

There was some truth to his words. It wasn't Brooke's business, and if she had not been so... Protective of Haley, then they wouldn't be in this situation. But Brooke was their child's godmother, and one of their closest friends for years. She would do anything for the three of them, and protected Jamie like her own. She was just trying to stop both of them from hurting each other again. While it technically wasn't her business, most of the time her and Haley told each other everything.

And Lucas... Lucas was Haley's best friend and Nathan's brother. One of the most important people in their lives. What were they thinking hiding all of this stuff from him? It was such a messy situation, and this was not the way she wanted it to come out.

Nathan shook his head, bringing her away from her thoughts. "Haley, stop it. Think about it later, alright? I'm sick and I want you to take care of me." He hummed, smirking at her.

Haley rolled her eyes, brushing her thumb over his cheek. "I'll try not to think about it." She said softly, biting her lip. "It just scares me. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"You won't, Haley. Brooke might be against this right now, but she won't try and talk you out of it. She'll realize that this is a good thing. She probably already has, and is mostly upset because we hid it from her. But again, it's not her business." He mumbled, sighing softly.

"It is a little bit, Nathan. She's helped me a lot. Both during our relationship, and when we were broken up." She said, shaking her head.

"She loves you, Haley." He said, sniffling. "I need to stop talking because I can hear my own voice and I sound like shit." He said, smiling at her. "Please, baby. I can't sleep unless you're relaxed."

Haley nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. They could talk about it again later. She just needed to relax and let Nathan's presence heal her.

xxxx

Nathan walked into his bedroom, kicking one of the boxes with his shoes on it, shaking his head and coughing quietly. He let out a deep breath, sitting down on the bed next to Haley, leaning back against the headboard, looking down at her.

She was curled up, the blankets tugged tightly around her, and even though she was sleeping, she looked stressed out. He felt a tug in his heart at how upset she looked, even while she was sleeping. He just wanted to go rip Brooke a new one for getting upset with her. It wasn't her business, regardless of how Haley felt. Brooke had no right to tell Haley how to feel.

He let out another deep breath, tilting his head to the side. On the other hand... He never really saw the way Haley acted after they broke up. He avoided all things that had to do with her like the plague for a month after they broke up. Most of their communication happened through Lucas. That had been a terrible month for him. While he was being drafted into the NBA, it was supposed to be the greatest time in his life. He quite literally had the world at his fingertips, but he was also missing so much. The celebrity couldn't have filled the space in his heart where Haley previously was. He rarely saw Jamie during that time, and it killed him. Everything about it killed him. Haley probably felt the same, maybe even worse, since they ended things with her thinking that he had cheated on her.

Haley spoke to him before Brooke did after that. Anytime he was with Lucas, Brooke either ignored him, or left. It probably took two months before Brooke could speak to him, and four months before she could look him in the eye. He'd crushed Haley so badly, and he didn't blame Brooke for being protective and cautious. But this was their lives. Not hers. They made their own decisions.

"Where did you go?" Haley asked him quietly, resting her hand on his leg, sniffling. "I woke up when you left. You left the bed a lot colder."

Nathan smiled down at her, taking her hand in his, setting a takeout bag on the bed in between them. "I brought you some soup. Chicken noodle with extra noodles." He said, kissing her hand lightly.

She looked up at him, sitting up slowly. "You remembered." She said quietly, biting her lip.

"Time can't make me forget anything about you, Ms. James." He chuckled, resting his hand on her neck. Her skin felt hot underneath his hand, despite the fact that she was still shivering a bit.

Haley let out a deep breath, nodding her head and pulling the soup and two spoons out of the bag, scooting closer to him, holding one out to him. "You didn't have to do this. You're sick too."

"I know." He said quietly, picking up the empty bag off the bed, tossing it onto the ground.

She watched him to so, suddenly remembering his messy room that definitely wasn't this messy when he left. "What happened in here?"

Nathan looked down at her, before looking over at the mess, rubbing his neck. "Well..." He began, resting his hand on her leg. "I was looking at you last night." He said, kissing her head lightly. "And I just thought to myself how lucky I felt to be with you. So I made the split second decision of leaving you, of course, and coming home." He hummed, smiling slightly at her.

Haley blinked slowly, looking at him. "That explains nothing to me." She chuckled to him, biting her lip.

"Well, I just thought that maybe one day... You'd want to move in here with me." He said, gesturing around his room. "You and Jamie could stay here permanently one day. So I decided at that exact second, that I was going to surprise you with some closet space to put your things, and it's probably time that I get rid of someone of the clothes I rocked in high school. And this way, when we do decide that we're ready to be living together, there will be less stuff to move." He chuckled, rubbing his neck. "I have a lot of shoes though, and I crashed about an hour into it."

She looked at him, resting her hand on his cheek. "Nathan... I don't know what to say." She said softly, smiling at him. "I guess since we're both sick, I can kiss you right now." She said, pulling him close to her and kissing him quickly.

Nathan rested his hand on her side, shifting himself a little bit, smiling against her mouth. He pulled back after a second, "Don't think I didn't turn my car around several times and start heading back to your house again, though."

"You left me very confused." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair, cuddling into his side, removing the lid from the container of soup he'd brought her.

"You're okay with moving some stuff into here, right? Is this moving too fast for you? I don't know if we're ready to live together, but I do have quite a bit of stuff at your house, and I don't want to freak you out or anything, but I just would really like-"

Haley cut him off, kissing him softly before resting her head on his shoulder. "Yes, Nathan. Shh." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. "I really appreciate you being willing to give up some space where your beloved shoes go. And your huge baggy t-shirts you wore in high school."

"For you. Only you." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, leaning back against the headboard.

She began to eat the soup quietly, leaning into him and smiling slightly. Brooke would understand. She had to understand. Nathan was a good guy back then, but even still, he was a much better guy now. Maybe being young wasn't a valid excuse, but he was young, and a father, and had the weight of the world on his shoulders when their relationship had ended. He was much more carefree and relaxed now. Both of them were. It's hard to count on a twenty year old to make all the right decisions all the time. Even now, at the age of twenty-five, they were both still messing up. But they were more mature about it. They could talk things through, instead of avoiding them. Both of them had grown up. Brooke had to see that.

"I must've hurt you pretty bad to make Brooke so against us." He said quietly, bringing her from her thoughts.

"You did." Haley confirmed softly, looking up at him and nodding. "But I hurt you too."

He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't fix it. But I really am sorry, for everything. And you know what? The dumbest thing I've ever done was let you go. Followed closely by sort of going out with Carrie just to hurt you." He said quietly, coughing into his sleeve.

She looked down at the soup he'd brought her, letting out a deep breath. They hadn't talked about this. Of course, they'd needed to. But it was always pushed to the back of her mind.

"I didn't know it at the time, but it just killed me to see you with Jesse and I just wanted to see if it hurt you to see me with someone else. My stupid ass just always has to make the worst decisions." He whispered, closing his eyes and sliding down the headboard a bit, sighing.

Haley ran her fingers through his hair. "I forgive you." She said quietly, sending him a small smile. "I mean it, Nathan. For all of it. Everything."

Nathan blinked his eyes open, pulling her face down to his and kissing her quickly. "I got so lucky with you."

"Will you forgive me? Because I really did push you away." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"I disagree with that, but if you want to hear it then of course I forgive you, Hales." He said, smiling at her. "And Brooke is going to see how much I care about you, Haley James. And she won't be able to be mad at that."

Haley nodded at him, smiling slightly. "I hope you're right." She whispered, resting her hands on his warm cheeks, before shifting the back of her hand to his forehead. "You're burning up, Nathan. Get some more rest. No more getting out of bed, though I do appreciate the soup."

Nathan smiled, laying down against his pillow, looking up at her. "You finish your soup then get some rest too." He said softly.

She nodded in response, giving him a thumbs up. "I will, baby." She said, smiling at him. She set the soup in her lap, beginning to lightly massage his scalp with one hand while she ate, humming softly and glancing down at him.

Brooke would see that they completed each other. That despite the troubles they'd had... They were together again, and happy. Everyone would see that.


	23. Chapter 23

**This chapter really gets into what happened after Nathan and Haley broke up, and why Brooke has her hesitations.**

 **Chapter 23**

Nathan stepped up to Brooke and Lucas' house, brushing his fingers through his hair. He felt much better than he did the day before, thankfully. He was stressed about being sick during his upcoming game, but thankfully Haley babying him and nurturing him had put him in decent health, fairly quickly.

He had volunteered to go get Jamie as soon as they woke up in the morning, mostly because he missed his son, but also because he knew that Haley wasn't ready to face the problem at hand just yet.

He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face, shoving his hands into his pockets, shifting the flowers in his hand. Brooke probably would've been the hardest person to tell. But now that she already knew, it was going to be easy to tell everyone else. No more hiding. He could hold her hand in public, kiss her in public. Anything they wanted. And honestly, he couldn't wait to see Jamie's face light up the way he knew it would.

He cleared his throat, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket briefly, before ringing the door bell, humming softly.

He was a little relieved, but also disappointed when it was Lucas that answered the door. Maybe it was a little mean of him, but he wanted to rub it in Brooke's face a little bit since she made Haley so upset.

"Hey Nate." Lucas said casually, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him, turning to look at his brother.

"Hey Lucas." Nathan said, nodding at him. "How's it going?"

"Look, I was not on board with the whole date thing. We weren't certain about you two, but we had our suspicions." Lucas said, shaking his head. "Brooke repeatedly told me that it was a bad idea, but she wanted to see what happened."

"Hey, I'm not mad." Nathan said, shrugging. "It was a bad idea, especially if you were suspicious, even if Haley and I weren't together then it was still a bad idea." He said, nodding at him.

Lucas eyed him, letting out a deep breath. "She's pretty upset, man." He said, sighing softly. "How's Haley?"

"Haley is upset too." Nathan confirmed, shoving his free hand into his pocket. "She told me to bring Brooke these flowers. Said they were her favorite." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"So, how long?" Lucas asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Couple months." Nathan informed him, nodding slowly. "How'd you find out?"

"Dude, there was the damn Jessie's Girl thing that you did, and I saw you grab her ass, man. Not very discrete at all." Lucas chuckled, rolling his eyes. "But I also thought maybe I was seeing things."

"She didn't say anything to Jamie, did she?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Brooke wouldn't do that, Nathan." Lucas said, letting out a deep breath. "She's upset. But I think this is going to end up being a good thing. It's going to be a good thing, right?"

"Hell yeah." Nathan chuckled, bumping his fist against his brother's.

"Good. I was a middle man when you two broke up, but if she shows up at my house and breaks down in my arms, there better be a damn good excuse." Lucas chuckled, slapping his brother on the shoulder. "I know Haley pretty well, and I know when she has a thing for you. I knew in high school when she started tutoring you, and I guessed it awhile back." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Just, don't hurt her." Lucas said, smiling at him. "I'll give her the same speech too, because I don't want to see you hurting again either."

"We're going to be great, Lucas. Amazing. Believe me when I tell you that." Nathan said, nodding his head. He let out a deep breath, kicking his foot at the ground, before pulling his brother into a brief hug, patting his back. "Thanks for taking care of her, Lucas. Really, I mean it. And for taking care of me. And Jamie, for that matter."

Lucas grinned, patting his brother on the back in return. "I've been pulling for you two. Secretly, of course. But for the last couple years, once your hearts had mended a little bit, I could still see it there. You two." He said, pulling back from him.

"You're a great brother, man." Nathan said, smiling at him. "I'd love to stay out here and be mushy with you all day..." He began sarcastically, smirking. "But I really missed my son."

"Of course." Lucas chuckled, resting his hand on the door handle. "She'll be civil, don't worry. Especially because Jamie is around. Like I said, we suspected it. She's mostly just hurt by the way she found out."

Nathan nodded his head, following Lucas into the house, smiling brightly.

"Jamie! Look who's here." Lucas called out into the kitchen, motioning for Nathan to follow him.

Jamie looked up at his father, jumping out of his chair and running over. "You're home!"

"I'm home!" Nathan grinned, picking up Jamie and hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much, buddy. I wish I wouldn't have gotten sick yesterday because I was really looking forward to playing with you."

"Yeah." Jamie said sadly, shrugging slightly. "But I had a lot of fun here! And we can play all day today."

"I'm glad." Nathan said, kissing his son's forehead and setting him down. "Go get your stuff, buddy. I want to talk to Aunt Brooke."

Jamie nodded his head quickly, looking at the Play Dough mess on the table. "Aunt Brooke, I will be-"

"I've got it, Jimmy Jam. Don't worry about it." Brooke said, smiling at him and smooth her hand over his shoulder. "Go get your stuff."

Lucas followed Jamie out of the room, giving Brooke a quick kiss on the head. "Call me if you need me. Keep it down, you two." He said, looking over at Nathan and heading out.

Brooke turned away from him, beginning to put the colors of Play Dough back in their separate containers.

Nathan smirked slightly, ready to start talking up his and Haley's relationship, opening his mouth and stopping himself. This was one of Haley's best friends. She wouldn't appreciate it if he was rude to her. She'd never, ever liked the way him and Brooke treated each other. A whole lot of love lying far under a whole lot of bickering and insults. He really did care about Brooke Davis, a lot.

"Brooke..." He began, setting the flowers down on the counter, beginning to help her clean up. Once the mess was all gone, he picked up the flowers once again and held them out to her. "These are for you. Haley told me to bring them."

Brooke took them quietly, nodding her head and biting her lip. "What do you want, Nate?"

Nathan let out a deep breath, "It's not your business, Brooke. You can't tell her who she can and can not date." He said, shrugging. "She values your opinion so much. It's eating her up inside to know that you're upset with her."

"She lied to me, Nathan." Brooke said, letting out a deep breath. "I asked her if there was anything going on several times. I knew after you publicly told all of that you wanted her, that this was going to happen again. But she told me it wasn't."

"Brooke, you can't force feelings away." He responded, shaking her head.

"I know that, Nathan! I just wanted her to tell me about it." Brooke said, letting out a deep breath.

"It's none of your business, Brooke. It's her life. You've helped her out so much. So, so much. You've helped me out so much, and I love you, Brooke. But you can't control her, and you can't control me." Nathan argued, shrugging slightly. "Besides, aren't you being a hypocrite?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Brooke snapped, looking at him.

"Look at who you're married to." Nathan said, shrugging. "I love Luke, but it's not like he never made a mistake. He did some jack ass things to you in high school, and now you're married and strong. When you're young, you do stupid things. The reason you don't like this is because you think I cheated on Haley, but I didn't. Maybe I let Carrie go a little too far with the flirting, but I never kissed her. She kissed me and I pushed her away, got it? I don't know if Haley told you that, but she knows. That's what happened."

She shook her head, looking away from him. "You didn't see her, Nathan. She was dark. Jamie was the only thing keeping her above water." She said softly. "I think I saw more of it than even Quinn did. She went home to the apartment you two shared. Slept in your bed. Smelled you everywhere. She went to the school you two went to together. She dealt with people congratulating her about you being drafted. She was not in a good place. She would call me in the middle of the night and just sob, and sob. I was so worried about her. It was so hard to see her like this. Every time I picked up Jamie and took him to the park or something, I prayed that she would be okay once I brought him home. She had no motivation. You broke her." Brooke snapped, pushing him lightly. "You broke her. Jamie healed her, and I had to sit back and watch it. I know she hurt you, Nathan. I know it wasn't one-sided. Lucas told me stories about you calling him in the middle of the night drunk. He drove all the way to Charlotte just to pick you up and take you home because you couldn't figure out where you were. I know that you were hurt, Nathan. But to physically see her tear herself down, and to feel her shaking in my arms... It's haunting. To see the way she looked when she told me. Jamie was hardly one, she felt all alone. She wasn't, of course. But she felt alone. I never understood how Lucas could help you when Haley was suffering, and it put a lot of strain on us too. But he said that you were his brother, and that maybe there was more to the story. He said that he couldn't let you suffer, and the only reason he could help you was because he knew that I was here to help Haley. Do you get what I'm saying, Nathan? She couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep. I'm convinced that the only reason she's still around is because of Jamie. You never saw her during that month. I spent hours up at night on the phone with Lydia. It might sound crazy, but I nearly abandoned my company to be in Durham to help her. Lucas gave up a lot too." Brooke said, shoving him once more. "You'll never understand. I hope you never understand what it's like seeing her whither away. She doesn't deserve to be treated the way that you treated her! You didn't deserve to be treated the way she treated you. And again, I know that you were hurting, and I don't know how bad it was for you, so maybe I'm being completely unfair. I don't know entirely what happened, even now. But it seems like you two don't know exactly what happened either. All I know is that I saw the upbeat, positive girl turn into this broken, insecure girl." She said, making eye contact with him, breathing deeply.

Nathan couldn't hold eye contact with her for very long, before he cast his eyes away from hers and hung his head slightly. He didn't know that. He didn't know the way Haley had acted. In the back of his mind... Since Haley was the one that left, he figured that she was the stronger one. Quinn had said to him that she'd cried a lot, but so had he. He couldn't help but feel guilty. Terrible. Every word that Brooke said to him was like another wave of guilt crashing over him. It wasn't her business, but he didn't blame Brooke for being protective. For being scared that it would happen again. She was probably scared for Jamie too, for the same reason they were. He stood there, his mouth open like he was going to speak, but no words would come out. After a minute of silence, his eyes met hers again.

"What happened? How did she..." He trailed off, nodding over to a picture of Haley and Brooke smiling brightly on their fridge.

"Day by day, Nathan. Jamie was the biggest help to her. It was almost like he knew that she needed him." Brooke said, shrugging slightly, letting out a deep breath. "I think that's why they have such a close bond. He saved her."

He scratched the back of his head, keeping his gaze on the photo of Haley. "I didn't know." He finally said, shifting. "I didn't... I would've... I don't know."

Brooke nodded at him, letting out a deep breath. "She's amazing, Nathan."

"I know." Nathan responded, turning to Brooke. He rested his hands on her shoulders, meeting her eyes once again. "If you believe one thing out of my mouth for the rest of my life, believe this: I'm not going to hurt her." He finished, nodding at her.

Brooke returned his gaze for a few seconds, before wrapping her arms tightly around Nathan. "Please don't." She said softly, resting her head on his shoulder for a brief second.

He rubbed his hand over her back, letting out a deep breath. "Thanks for telling me this, Brooke. Thanks for protecting her." He said quietly, looking down at her. "I owe you everything. Because if it wasn't for you, I might not have everything right now. You say it was Jamie, and I'm sure he had a big role in it, but I'm sure you helped her too." He whispered, nodding at her.

She bit her lip, nodding up at him. "I love you, Nate. And her. And Jamie. Tell her that I'll talk to her tomorrow, okay? Jamie has been missing you so much, I'm sure he wants to spend the day with his parents." She said quietly.

Nathan nodded in response, smiling at her. "I'll tell her. Thank you, Brooke." He said softly. "I'm going to protect her." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You better. And she better protect you." She responded. "Most importantly," Brooke began, glancing towards the direction of the sound of running, "You both better protect the hell out of the little boy."

"You never need to worry about that." Nathan said, smiling at her. "I'll tell Haley that you'll see her tomorrow."

"Good." Brooke said, letting out a deep breath and kneeling down when Jamie entered the room, holding out her arms. "Come here, little man." She said, hugging him tightly. "You have fun with your mom and dad. We're still on for ice cream next week, right?" She suggested, holding out her pinky to him.

Jamie grinned, hooking his pinky around hers. "Duh!" He said, nodding his head.

She laughed, kissing his forehead and turning him towards Nathan. "Bye, Jamie." She said, walking over to Lucas, resting her head on his shoulder.

Nathan grabbed Jamie's hand, nodding at Brooke and Lucas, before tugging him out of the house quickly.

"I missed you!" Jamie hummed once they were in the car, driving off.

"I missed you too, Jame. So much." Nathan chuckled in response, leaning back against his seat.

"Your last game was so good! Mama let me watch the whole entire thing." Jamie said.

"Yeah, she told me that you had trouble sleeping afterwards." Nathan chuckled, glancing at his son in the rear-view mirror.

"Maybe a little. She let me sleep in her bed because I wouldn't calm down." Jamie said, yawning.

"Did you have fun yesterday?" Nathan chuckled, raising his eyebrows.

"We stayed in our pajamas and ate ice cream all day." Jamie hummed quietly, kicking his legs. "And watched movies."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Nathan said, running his fingers through his hair. "A lot more fun than being sick in bed."

"You and Mama were both sick?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened." Nathan chuckled, letting out a deep breath. "But we're both doing better."

"Good." Jamie hummed, laying back against his seat, tugging on his shoulder straps a bit, staring out the window.

Nathan smiled slightly, letting out a deep breath. "I thought we could go to the Rivercourt for a bit, Jimmy Jam. Of course, you're still wearing your pajamas..."

"It's okay!" Jamie cut in quickly. "My pajamas have basketballs on them. Which means it will help."

"Okay, but it's a little chilly today, so if you get cold we're leaving right away." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head.

Jamie hummed, nodding his head. "Uncle Lucas has been letting me practice with the Ravens. I'm getting good." He informed him.

"Yeah?" Nathan said, smiling slightly, glancing in the rear-view mirror at his son once again.

"Yeah, pretty soon I think I'll be able to make it from half-court. I watched Uncle Skills make it from there last week." Jamie told him, grinning.

"Yeah, well I'm sure you're a better baller than Skills is." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath, driving onto the grass near the old blacktop. He got out quickly, helping Jamie out of the car, grabbing the basketball off the seat next to his son. "Hey, you want to see something?" He asked, turning towards his son. "You can't tell anyone I showed you this." He said, smirking slightly. He walked around to the back of his car, pulling open the trunk.

Jamie walked up next to him, looking into the back of the car and raising his eyebrows.

Nathan glanced around, setting the basketball down and lifting Jamie up into the back of the car, taking a seat next to him, pushing some of the boxes forward. "These are my new shoes." He said, ruffling his sons hair. He lifted up one of the Nike boxes, opening it up to show Jamie what was inside.

Jamie looked at them with wide eyes, reaching out and tracing his finger over the familiar Nike swoosh. "These are awesome." He said quickly, nodding his head. "What about your green shoes?"

"I'll still wear those, and people will still be able to buy them." Nathan chuckled, looking down at them. "You can't tell anyone about this, son. You're the only one that has seen them. Besides Clay, and a few other people. But you're the only one that I've showed them to."

Jamie nodded his head quickly, "Can I see more of them?" He asked, gesturing over to the other boxes.

Nathan nodded his head quickly, reaching over and showing Jamie the three other pairs of shoes that were made.

Jamie looked over at the remaining boxes. "What are those?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"These ones-" Nathan chuckled, grabbing a box. "Are in your size. You can't wear them yet. But they are special for you." He said, kissing his son's head.

Jamie smiled brightly, looking down at the shoes in his size. "Sweet! I wish I could wear them!" He said, shaking his head.

"Soon." Nathan said, ruffling Jamie's hair, standing up and lifting his son out of the car. "Alright, buddy. Let's see what you've been working on." He said, closing the back of the car, picking up the ball and handing it to Jamie.

It wasn't long before Jamie started to shiver, despite them running around. It was unusually cold today, the crisp air was turning the small boy's nose and ears red, and though he had yet to say it, Nathan knew he was cold.

"Alright, James. Enough, I'm too cold to keep going." Nathan chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down Jamie's covered arms. "Let's go get some hot chocolate. We can bring some back to your mom."

Jamie nodded his head, letting Nathan help him into the car, watching as he got into the front and start driving.

They had opted to go through the drive thru instead of go in and get it, so they could go back to Haley's house.

They were almost to there when Nathan began to speak again:

"So, Jamie." He said, clearing his throat. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Hm?" Jamie asked, sipping his hot chocolate.

"You remember how a little while ago, you asked me if I had a girlfriend, and I told you no?" Nathan said, glancing back at his son.

"Yes." Jamie said slowly, holding the warm cup in both hands, raising his eyebrows.

"Well..." Nathan trailed off, letting out a deep sigh. "Now I do have a girlfriend." He said, dead silence encompassing the car. It was a little mean, the trick he was playing on his son, but he couldn't wait to see Jamie light up even more at the knowledge that his father's girlfriend, was indeed the person he wanted it to be most.

"Oh." Jamie said, kicking his legs a bit.

"It's okay, though. You'll really like her, Jamie. She's nice. Your mom already knows." He said, smirking slightly.

"Okay." Jamie responded, looking up when they pulled into Haley's driveway.

Nathan unbuckled Jamie quickly, watching him leap out of the car and run inside the house quickly. He shook his head, letting out a small sigh. Haley probably wasn't going to be happy about that, and now he was feeling a little bad for what he told his son, but once Jamie found out who he was talking about, he'd be happy and it would be worth it. He got out of the car slowly, heading inside Haley's house.

Haley looked at Nathan, raising her eyebrows. "What did you do?" She asked him, nodding towards the stairs.

"Why do you assume that I did something?" He asked her, smirking slightly, kissing her forehead lightly.

"What happened? He came in and ran upstairs, looking pretty upset." She frowned at him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, it was me." He sighing, shrugging slightly, handing her the hot chocolate cup in his hands.

"What could you possibly have said to him to make him so upset?" She asked him, shaking her head.

"I told him that I had a girlfriend." Nathan chuckled, resting his hand on her waist, kissing her softly.

"Nathan!" She groaned, letting out a deep breath. "You know how fragile he is when it comes to us dating."

"Haley, we're dating each other." He reminded her, shrugging. "I have a plan. We're telling him tonight. Dinner at my house."

"He doesn't know that." She said, kissing his cheek. "I'm going to go get him in a bath."

"Then come back. I want to talk to you." He said, nodding towards the stairs.

Haley smiled at him, kissing him softly, "Mhm." She said, heading towards the stairs. She turned to him, winking at him. "Why don't you go wait in my room?"

He nodded in response, following her up the stairs, heading the opposite direction, smiling slightly. He took a seat on the floor in front of the bed, leaning against it and letting out a deep breath. Their conversation would probably be brief, for the short amount of time Jamie was in the bath. Since his conversation with Brooke, he felt a little bit of weight on his shoulders that he felt he needed to discuss with her before they told their son about them later in the evening.

Haley poked her head into the room, looking at him and raising her eyebrows. "Sitting on the floor? I do have a bed right behind you, you know."

"The floor is less comfortable, so I won't get all wrapped up in you." Nathan chuckled, tapping the ground next to him.

She raised her eyebrows, sitting down and looking over at him. "What?"

"I talked to Brooke when I picked up Jamie." He began, clearing his throat, looking straight ahead of him.

"You did?" She asked him softly, frowning. "What happened?"

He began to tap his foot on the ground, letting out a small sigh, attempting to sort through his thoughts.

"It went bad." Haley said, letting out a deep breath, leaning her head back. "What did she say?"

"It didn't go bad." He said quickly, looking at her. "I think it went well."

"Then what's wrong?" She asked, reaching over and grabbing his hand.

"I guess... I don't really blame her for hesitating when it comes to us." He said, shrugging slightly.

"She told you." Haley confirmed, letting out a deep sigh. "I was not in a good place, that's for sure."

"I didn't know." He said quietly, looking down at her hand. He said quickly, kissing her cheek. "If I would've know..."

"What? You would've been there for me?" She asked, shaking her head. "I left you, Nathan."

"I know, but I still loved you." He said softly, leaning back against the bed. "I should've just told you, Haley. About Carrie."

"Stop it, Nathan. Don't let anything Brooke said take away what I told you yesterday. I forgive you." She said softly, resting her hand on his cheek and kissing him briefly. "It was just hard. You were on the verge of becoming this lottery pick basketball player, and if I turned on the TV and you were on the channel, Jamie would start squealing so I couldn't turn it off." She said, brushing her foot over his leg. "He was getting so big and I don't know, I was preparing to do this a little bit on my own since you would be gone for long periods of time. I didn't know how to function properly without you by my side." She said simply, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'd lost the man I was in love with, and my best friend."

He nodded slowly, resting his head on hers and closing his eyes. "Best friend, hm?"

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Don't tell Luke. It might crush him." She teased, smiling at him.

"Your secret is safe with me." He responded, looking down, resting his hand on her leg.

She let out a deep breath, "I'm so grateful to have you in my life again, Nathan. I mean... You were always there because of Jamie. But I like this." She said, smiling at him.

Nathan smiled slightly, looking down at her and kissing her head. "Yeah, me too." He said, humming softly. "If you ever feel the way you were feeling again, you let me know, and I'll drop everything and come to you. You're my best friend."

She chuckled, lifting up her head and looking at him. "Best friend?" She mocked him.

"Don't tell Clay." Nathan joked back, leaning forward and kissing her quickly.

Haley cupped his cheek, pulling his face down closer to hers, letting her eyes flutter shut. She loved how everything about him made her heart race. Every word he said, even in the nights where they lay awake, and he just blabbers on about something basketball related, stroking her arm subconsciously, occasionally stopping just to look at her, whisper sweet words to her, then go straight back to the topic he was talking about before. She wanted them to always be this couple. The ones who talk to each other about their days, and listen intently even down to the most minuscule detail. Telling Jamie was going to be scary, but it was the right thing to do.

"I'm ready to get out!" Jamie shouted loudly.

Nathan broke away from Haley, chuckling quietly, leaning back against the bed. "Damn kid." He hummed, pecking her lips once more. "He can get himself out of the bath, you know. You don't need to baby him."

"He's my baby." Haley hummed, standing up, ruffling Nathan's hair. "Go downstairs, Scott."

"I'm beginning to feel sick again. Maybe I should stay up here in bed." Nathan said, tapping the bed behind him.

"If you're feeling sick then maybe you should just go home." She teased him, kissing his head. "Jamie will be awfully disappointed when I tell him."

"Alright, alright. I will meet you downstairs." He chuckled, standing up, glancing at the door when Jamie shouted again. He kissed her briefly, smiling and heading out of Haley's room, and down the stairs.

It wasn't long before Jamie came back down the stairs with Haley, hurrying over to Nathan and jumping up on the couch next to him, letting out a deep breath.

"You okay, buddy?" Nathan chuckled, wrapping his arm around Jamie's shoulders.

Jamie looked up at him, sighing softly and looking over at Haley. "Are we going to go to your house?" He asked Nathan quietly.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, shrugging. "We can if you want." He said, smiling slightly at him.

Jamie nodded in response, getting up slowly and grabbing Nathan's hand, pulling on his arm until he stood up. "Yeah." He said, looking at Haley once again. "Is it okay if we leave?" He asked her. "We need to talk, man to man."

Haley couldn't hold back the smile that formed on her face at her son's choice of words. He was the most precious thing on earth. This stupid little trick that Nathan was playing on him was probably upsetting him a lot.

She nodded her head, kissing Jamie's forehead. "Yeah, of course you can, buddy." She hummed, smoothing out his hair.

Nathan smiled, scooping up Jamie and throwing him over his shoulder. "Come on, Jamie. Let's get going. Give your mom a kiss." He said, turning around so Jamie was facing Haley.

Jamie laughed quietly as he was swung around, leaning over and kissing Haley's cheek. "Bye Mama." He said, smiling at her.

"Bye, Jamie. I love you." She hummed, winking at him.

"We'll see you at dinner tonight?" Nathan said, nodding at her.

"I'll be there." Haley responded, biting her lip.

"Dress nice." He said to her, letting out a deep breath. "See you tonight."

"See you tonight." Haley repeated back to him. 'Be careful' She mouthed to him, tapping Jamie's leg.

Nathan nodded his head, smiling at her. "Bye Haley." He hummed, heading out of her house.

xxxx

"We need to talk." Jamie said, crossing his arms as the credits of "Shrek 2" played, turning towards Nathan.

Nathan looked down at Jamie, raising his eyebrows and looking at him. "You don't waste any time, do you?"

"We just watched a whole movie." Jamie pointed out, gesturing towards the TV.

"Your favorite movie." Nathan reminded him.

"Your favorite movie!" Jamie replied, shaking his head. "I want to talk."

Nathan looked at his son, picking up the small rubber basketball that was sitting on the couch next to him, tossing it up into the air. "Alright, let's talk."

"You told me you would ask Mom on a date!" Jamie frowned, poking him and shaking his head.

Nathan sighed softly, shrugging his shoulders. "I found a girlfriend." He said simply, ruffling Jamie's hair. "I'm sorry, buddy."

Jamie scowled at him, "You said..." He trailed off, closing his eyes.

"Hey..." Nathan trailed off, letting out a deep breath. "Jamie, come on."

"No. You said!" Jamie argued, scowling at him.

"I said maybe, Jame..." Nathan trailed off, ruffling his hair.

Jamie looked at him, taking the ball from him and throwing it. "This isn't fair." He said quietly, standing up.

"Hey." Nathan said, resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "Jamie..."

"I thought you liked her. You said she was pretty, and nice." Jamie said, letting out a deep breath.

The way Jamie's lip was quivering brought an awful feeling into Nathan. The tears brimming in his eyes. He probably shouldn't have done this. Of course, his girlfriend was Haley, but Jamie was freaking out. He was trying to hold it together, but the five year old wanted his parents to be together more than anything.

"She is pretty and nice." Nathan said, shrugging slightly, letting out a deep breath.

"I just... I thought..." Jamie trailed off, shaking his head quickly. "I'll be in my room. I don't want to talk anymore."

"But, Jamie..." Nathan said, holding onto his shoulder. "I haven't seen you in awhile, and I'm leaving soon..."

"I don't want to talk." Jamie said quickly, hurrying away from his father and up the stairs.

He sighed, sitting back against the couch and pulling out his phone, finding Haley's contact quickly and tapping on the call button. She was not going to be happy with this.

"Hello?" Haley's voice hummed through the phone.

"What are you wearing?" Nathan responded, smirking.

"Nathan!" She laughed, rolling her eyes. "That's the worst line ever."

"Hey now, that's a classic." He said, shaking his head and letting out a small sigh.

"Since the inappropriate comment, I'm guessing that Jamie isn't near you right now." Haley said to him slowly.

"You would be correct." He said, his leg bouncing up and down.

"Where is he?" She asked him curiously.

Nathan sighed softly, brushing his fingers through his hair and turning off the TV. "I made him upset so he's in his room."

Haley was quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "Does it have to do with your girlfriend?"

"Yeah." He groaned, shaking his head. "I feel very bad. This wasn't a good idea, but I couldn't help myself. He was on the verge of tears, and told me that he wants to be alone."

"He has the worst crying face." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "He's very sensitive when it comes to us, Nathan."

"I know, I know. I feel terrible." He said, shaking his head. "I know that, but I still thought it would be a good idea. I suck."

"Poor little guy." She said, sighing softly. "I don't know what to tell you, Nate. You could tell him the truth? Or I could come talk to him?"

"No, no. He doesn't want to talk to me." He sighed, letting out a deep breath. "It's okay. I'll just start working on dinner. Maybe we can have it a little bit early so that once he finds out, he'll be all happy and excited, but he'll still have time to play."

"But do you have the time to cook?" She teased him through the phone.

"Please, baby. I'm the best." Nathan responded, rolling his eyes. "Come around four-thirty, rather than five-thirty. Bring a bag full of clothes that you can leave in my closet."

Haley laughed, "Alright. Be careful with him, Nathan. I mean it. He has a big heart."

"He gets it from his mom." Nathan hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"I'll see you in a little while, alright?"

"Okay, Hales. Four-thirty." He said, letting out a deep breath and hanging up the phone.

xxxx

Nathan knocked on Jamie's bedroom door about ten minutes before Haley was supposed to arrive, pushing it open at his son's quiet voice telling him to enter.

"Hey. Let's get your tie on, huh?" He suggested, walking over to his son's closet, removing a blue button up shirt and a black tie, and some black dress pants, tossing them at him.

"Why are we dressing up?" Jamie asked him, sighing softly.

"Because I said so." Nathan chuckled as Jamie began to dress, messing up the buttons on his shirt as he did them up.

He kneeled down, beginning to fix the mistake, smiling at him. "I always do this, Jamie. I just get one button off and I don't notice until I'm done so I have to do the whole thing all over again. It's terrible." He chuckled, picking up the tie, wrapping it around his son's neck, raising up his shirt collar and tying it quickly.

"How do you do that?" Jamie asked, flattening down his shirt collar, raising his eyebrows.

"It takes practice." Nathan chuckled, walking over to his closet again, pulling out a suit jacket. "Alright, buddy. Looking sharp." He chuckled, sliding the jacket onto his son. "Mom is going to love this."

"We match." Jamie said, gesturing between himself and his father.

Nathan looked down at his choice of outfit, chuckling quietly. "Yeah, I guess we do." He said, smoothing out his son's hair. "You look better than me though."

Jamie opened his mouth to say something, when the doorbell rang. "Who is that? You told Mama five-thirty."

Nathan could feel his palms beginning to swear and his heart rate picking up. "That? Oh, that's my girlfriend. I invited her."

Jamie sat down on his bed, his head hanging slightly. "Oh." He responded.

"You have to meet her, James. You're going to love her. I'll be right back." Nathan said quickly, hurrying out of the room and letting out a deep breath as he basically ran down the stairs, pulling open the door quickly.

"Hey." Haley said, smiling up at him. "You look nice."

"You look amazing." Nathan said, taking in her appearance for a moment. "Okay, come on." He said quickly, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the stairs. "I can't take this anymore." He said, letting out a sigh of relief. He stopped outside of Jamie's room, telling Haley to wait there, before entering again.

He kneeled down in front of his son, frowning slightly. "Please don't be upset, Jamie." He said softly.

"You told me... I just... I thought..." Jamie whispered, biting his lip and shaking his head quickly.

"I know, buddy. But I think you'll really like her." Nathan said, glancing out the door. "Can I tell her to come in?"

Jamie sighed loudly, looking around the room. "I guess so." He nodded his head, letting out a deep breath.

"Alright." Nathan said, standing up and smiling at his son. He headed towards the doorway, freezing just before he reached it. He was suddenly a lot more nervous. Jamie would love this. But what if... What if things were different now? Between him and Haley. Now that everyone knew, things might change. Why was he stalling? He suddenly had a very uneasy feeling in his chest. Jamie was going to be thrilled, he had to keep reminding himself of this. But there was an underlying 'what if...' Shit.

He looked back at Jamie, wiping his palms on his pants. "Sorry, buddy." He chuckled, letting out a deep breath. This was going to be fine. Jamie looked so upset right now, and once he revealed the news to him, he would be much happier. That was all he wanted. He screwed up this day, and this was going to make it right. Of course he was having these thoughts of doubt right when he was about to share something this big with his son. He was being ridiculous. He cared so much about Haley, and he couldn't wait to share it with the world.

Nathan glanced at Jamie once more, before heading out of the room. He looked down at Haley, smiling slightly. "He's pretty upset." He said, sighing softly.

Haley looked up at him, resting her hand on his cheek. "Are you okay?" She questioned him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I am." He responded, leaning down and kissing her briefly. "Let's do this." He said, grabbing onto Haley's hand, poking his head into Jamie's room. "Okay, Jame. Ready to meet her?" He asked, smiling.

Jamie nodded his head slowly, kicking his legs and looking up at the door, shifting nervously.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder at Haley, giving her hand a softly squeeze, pushing the door open, walking into the room with Haley following after him.

"Jamie, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend." He said, letting go of Haley's hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Jamie blinked in confusion, standing up slowly. "I don't get it." He said slowly.

Haley looked up at Nathan, smiling brightly, before looking over at Jamie. "Jamie..." She trailed off.

"This is my girlfriend, Jamie." Nathan said, rubbing Haley's arm lightly, leaning over and kissing the top of her head.

"That's my mom." Jamie said, pointing at Haley and nodding slowly.

"Yeah, she is." Nathan said, smirking slightly. "But she's also my girlfriend."

Jamie's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what was going on. "Your girlfriend?"

"Is that okay?" Haley asked Jamie quietly, smiling at their son.

Jamie nodded his head quickly, a grin breaking out onto his face. "You tricked me!" He yelled at Nathan, rushing over to them quickly. "That was mean."

"I know, buddy. I'm sorry." Nathan said, kneeling down and looking at Jamie. "But... I just couldn't help myself." He chuckled, smiling up at Haley. "Is this okay with you?"

"Yes!" Jamie yelled, throwing himself at Nathan and hugging him tightly.

Haley smiled at the sight in front of her, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around both of them. Brooke... She could get over this. And if she didn't, Haley could get over that. But these two were her family. Jamie accepting them was the only thing that mattered to her. If he was happy, everything was okay.

"How about we go eat dinner now? I made it, so no promises on how good it tastes." Nathan said, smiling at Haley, standing up slowly.

"We don't have high expectations." Haley teased him, winking. "I'm sure it will be fine."

Jamie looked between his two parents, his smile growing. "We're going to eat dinner like a family!" He said, nodding at them quickly, grabbing their hands and pulling them out of the room.

xxxx

Nathan and Jamie had played in the backyard for hours after dinner, while Haley sat in the lawn chair, watching them.

When it was finally dark outside, Jamie still sat in Nathan's bed with them, talking to them and questioning them about everything until he did finally fall asleep.

Nathan had moved him into his own room, and now the two had settled into a comfortable silence, sitting on Nathan's bed, their backs against the headboard.

Haley was reading a book, her legs tucked under her, leaning into Nathan's arm, a small smile on her face.

Nathan was flicking through the TV channels, shaking his head at the fact that there was never anything good on when he was watching TV. He glanced down at Haley, a grin forming on his face. She was beautiful. The prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She made sitting there, reading a book, look like it was the sexiest thing in the world. Glasses on, hair up in a bun. She was perfect. And he loved her.

He loved her.

Nathan sat up quickly, dropping the remote and looking at her, grinning slightly.

Haley raised her eyebrows, sending him a confused look. She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, before he cut her off.

"I love you." He said quickly, grabbing the book from her hands and tossing it to the side. "I. Love. You."

Haley felt her heart speed up at his words. They didn't come as a shock to her, not really. They'd been together for awhile now, but that didn't make them any less powerful. He loved her. And she loved him.

She reached out, grabbing his face and pulling him close to her, kissing him deeply. Despite the drama that had ensued, this had been a great weekend. Nathan was back in Tree Hill until tomorrow afternoon. They didn't need to hide anything anymore, especially from Jamie. Her boys were happy, and she was happy. There was nothing else she could want in the whole world.

Nathan grabbed her, and within an instant, she was straddling his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, tugging up her shirt a bit until his hands came in contact with her skin.

After a moment, Haley pulled back and glanced at her book that was lying on the bed. She bit her lip, before looking back at Nathan, reaching over and grabbing it.

Nathan blinked in confusion, "Um, Hales-"

"Shh." She said, holding her fingers to his lips for a second, searching through the book. "Sorry- just, let me find my page." She said quickly, biting her lip.

He tilted his head back, laughing. She was even sexy when she was leaving him in the dust to find her stupid page that she left off on. He should've known better than to throw her book.

Haley reached over, grabbing her bookmark and placing it in the book, before setting it on the table behind his bed. "Sorry, I didn't want to forget." She said quickly. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh.. Oh! I'm sorry." She said, flattening her hands over his chest. She kissed him again, before resting her forehead on his.

"I love you too, Nathan Scott."


	24. Chapter 24

**I do actually have two ideas for new stories in the works. I'm feeling inspired to write them, but I am not sure if I'll be posting them. One of them already has the first chapter written, maybe a little more of a prologue. If you guys would like me to post it I will!**

 **Chapter 24**

Haley glanced up from the papers she was grading, standing up slowly when none other than Brooke Davis walked into her classroom. She was expecting it to be Nathan, since he had informed her that he would bring her lunch before he left to head back to Charlotte.

"Brooke." She finally said, a small smile forming on her face.

Brooke let out a deep breath, taking a seat on one of the desks, looking at her longtime friend, before looking around the classroom. "This was Nick's classroom." She informed her.

"Nick?" Haley questioned her, moving to stand in front of Brooke, leaning back on her own desk, resting her hands on either side of her, gripping the wood.

"Mr. Chavez." Brooke said, shaking her head at her high school self.

"Oh... Oh! Ew, Brooke." Haley groaned, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "I forgot about that."

"I've been in this classroom millions of times, but it never really registered with me until just now." Brooke responded, letting out a deep breath. "That was terrible. Truly, truly terrible. I think I blocked out the memory. I think back to that, and I'm so disappointed in myself."

"I didn't even know until later." Haley chuckled, looking around the room.

"Yeah, because I only told Rachel. I still... Ew. I can't believe I did that, you know? But he was easy on the eyes, I'll give him that. And Rachel did set it up for me and lie about my age. For her short time at Tree Hill High, she caused a lot of problems." Brooke groaned, tapping her nails on the desk.

"That she did, that she did." Haley agreed with her, letting out a deep breath. "Brooke..." She began.

Brooke held up her hand, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Haley. Nathan was right, it's none of my business." She said simply, letting out a deep breath.

"I feel like it is a little bit, Brooke." Haley said, frowning at her. "I owe you so much, I should've just told you. But I was nervous, because I knew that you wouldn't be happy about it."

"Haley, if you're happy, then I am happy. Who am I to stand in the way of you two? Besides, Nathan Scott is a stand-up guy. He's one of the best, and I mean it when I say that." Brooke intervened quickly. "And you bring the best out in him."

Haley couldn't help but smile at her comments, letting out a deep breath. "I wish that I would've told you earlier, Brooke."

"Me too." Brooke said, nodding at her. "He was talking to me at my house yesterday, as I'm sure he told you, and... I just wanted to tell him to leave you alone, Haley. But... I couldn't, you know? He was there for you. I could tell. Otherwise he probably would've picked up Jamie and left, but he made himself stay. Nathan has never been a man of many words, but I could just tell that he was really trying, and that he loves you." She said softly. "He promised me that he wouldn't hurt you, and I believed him. So I give you my blessing." She said simply, biting her lip.

Haley let out a deep breath, glancing towards the door. "That means everything to me, Brooke." She said softly, smiling at her. "I really, really love him." She said, looking at the ground, before moving her gaze back to her friend. "He makes me feel confident, and happy. In a way that no one else has. I wish we would've worked everything out the first time around, because I can't help but think about how different our lives would be right now."

Brooke smiled at her, standing up and walking over to Haley, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, Hales. And I want what's best for you. I just wish you wouldn't have felt like you needed to lie to me."

"I was scared to tell you, but the main reason we did it was because of Jamie. We just wanted to be confident in us before we told anyone, because if Jamie found out... And things didn't work out, it would crush him." She said softly.

"And you're confident in it now?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows.

Haley nodded her head, smiling. "I am." She said softly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Good." Brooke said, biting her lip. "I understand it's not my business, so I'll try and ease up a little bit. Please, just don't lie to me. And if he hurts you, I'll end him. I'm sorry for setting you guys up on a date, it was such a dumb thing to do. But I just wanted you to tell me so badly, I was thinking irrationally." She said, shaking her head. "Lucas told me it was a bad idea, and I knew it was. I just wasn't expecting you to follow through if you really were together."

"I forgive you." Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "I did lie to you several times, because you asked me about Nathan a bunch. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Brooke repeated back to her, pulling Haley into another hug, smiling slightly. "I'm going to New York soon, but if you need anything, I'm only a plane ride away." She said, nodding at her.

Haley smiled, letting out a deep breath. "I love you, Brooke Davis. Thanks for being such a good friend, and good godmother." She said, biting her lip.

Brooke nodded, grinning at her. "Well, I'm going to go see if Lucas wants to go to lunch. I'll see you later, Tutorgirl. Have fun with your high schoolers. Don't let the history of this room repeat itself." She hummed, gesturing around.

Haley groaned, shaking her head. "Trust me, I won't be. See you later." She said, letting out a small sigh.

Brooke paused at the door, turning to look at Haley. "Just out of curiosity, when did this whole thing between you and Nathan start?"

Haley shrugged, sitting down at her desk and crossing her legs. "It's been a few months... Why?"

"It was the night in New York, right? When I presented my new line?" Brooke questioned her, raising her eyebrows.

"I guess you could say that, sort of." Haley said slowly, eyeing her curiously. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, you know me." Brooke hummed waving her hand.

"Brooke, just tell me." Haley said, laughing quietly.

"Well, who do you think was the one that paid the driver to let you off two blocks from your hotel?" Brooke asked her, winking at her, and hurrying out of the room quickly.

Haley blinked, standing up quickly, hurrying to her classroom door and pulling it open, watching Brooke as she walked down the hall. "Brooke?" She called out, shaking her head as her friend ignored her. "What the hell?" She asked herself.

Nathan cleared his throat from behind her, looking past her as Brooke turned the corner. "Is everything okay?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley glanced over her shoulder at him, before looking back to where Brooke had disappeared to.

"Yeah..." She said slowly, turning around and smiling at him. "Hey."

"Hey." Nathan said, pushing open the door of her classroom. "Shall we?" He hummed, gesturing inside.

She smiled at him, stepping into the classroom, sitting down at her desk, smiling up at him. "Hey handsome."

Nathan set down a bag on her desk, leaning against it. "Mm, hello." He hummed, leaning down to press a brief kiss to her lips. "You look beautiful today."

"You already saw me today." She reminded him, grabbing his hand.

"I know." He chuckled, looking down at her. "What was Brooke doing here?"

"We were talking." Haley said, smiling up at him, resting her hand on his knee.

"About what?" He asked, nodding at her.

"She was telling me how much you love me, and then I told her how much I love you." She said, brushing her hand up his thigh briefly, before removing it from him, looking up at him.

"I want everyone to know how much I love you." He said, nodding at her. He glanced towards the door. "How much time do you have?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I have a little over a half hour. But next hour is my preparation hour, so I don't have a class." She said, blinking at him. "Why?"

Nathan picked up the bag of food, holding out his hand to her. "What do you say we get out of here?" He asked, smiling at her. "Impromptu lunch date that was partially planned, but..."

Haley grabbed onto his hand, standing up slowly. "Alright. But sometimes students come talk to me and ask questions if they have a free period, so I need to be back for that."

"But you can be a little late." He said, interlocking their fingers, "Right?" He hummed, looking down at her.

She looked up at him, getting lost in his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep breath. He was looking at her the same way he would when he asked her to cut class with him in high school. Nearly every time she fell for it then, and she had a feeling the outcome would be the same now. Damn him.

"Not too late." She said, shaking her head, squeezing his hand and allowing him to lead her out.

xxxx

Haley raised her eyebrows as Nathan pulled up in front of Clothes Over Bro's, looking over at him. "What are we doing here?" She asked him curiously.

He got out of the car quickly, pulling open the passenger door quickly, opening the back door, climbing and reaching over the seat until he found the object he was looking for. He lifted the blanket out, getting out of the car slowly, looking at her. "What do you say, Haley James? Picnic on the roof?"

"Is Brooke going to be okay with this?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Forget her." Nathan chuckled, slamming the door shut, taking the food from her, and nodding towards the store. "She's at lunch with Lucas. Plus, I don't think Karen would say no to us, so we'll just say that if she gets mad."

Haley smiled at him, nodding slowly and following him into the store. There were a few people inside, none of them paying much attention as the pair entered, except for Millicent, who walked over to them.

"Hi Millie." Haley said, smiling at her, nodding.

"Hey Millie." Nathan said, looking over at Haley. "Have you met my girlfriend? Her name is Haley." He said, nodding at her.

Millie raised her eyebrows, smiling at them. "I knew it!" She pointed out, shaking her head. "I knew that there was something between you two."

"Apparently everyone did." Haley said, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. About the date and everything."

"Me too. It was unfair of me to even go with you. That's Brooke Davis for you, always surprising people." Nathan chuckled, smiling at Millicent.

"Oh, no. Don't apologize. It's fine, really. I had a good time, but I didn't feel the spark." Millicent responded, nodding at him. "Well, besides the obvious spark of you two. You two are cute together. I bet your son is thrilled."

"Yeah, he is." Haley smiled at her, resting her hand on Nathan's back, nodding towards the back of the store. "Thanks, Millie."

"Yeah, thank you." He responded, letting out a deep breath. "We're going to head up to the roof." He said, raising up the food and the blanket, rushing past Millie before she could say anything else.

Haley followed after him, smiling brightly. "You're in a hurry." She hummed, looking at him.

"The more we talk, the less time we have to make out." Nathan joked, heading up the stairs, pushing open the door to the roof, holding it for Haley.

Haley smiled at him, stepping out onto the familiar ground that her and Lucas spent so much time on. She looked around, letting out a deep breath. It had been awhile since she'd spent some time up here.

"I know that this is yours and Lucas' spot, and I don't want to take that from you two by any means. But this is the only roof I know how to get on." He said, grinning at her.

"What, do you have some roof kink that you've never told me about?" She asked him, poking her elbow into his side.

Nathan laughed, setting down the items in his arms, before grabbing onto her hand. "Baby, I'd do anything, anywhere, as long as it's with you." He said, winking at her.

She smiled at him, swinging their arms slightly. "So, why exactly are we up here?" She asked him curiously.

"Because I'm about to do something very cheesy." He said, pulling her over to the edge of the room so they were overlooking the street below.

She raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. "What are you going to do?" She asked him, laughing quietly.

"You make me do cheesy things. I mean, come on? I'm never going to live down the Jessie's Girl thing." He said, shaking his head at himself.

She laughed, giving him a playful slap on the butt, "I liked it. Now, let's see your cheesiness."

He looked at her, dropping her hand and cupping his hands around his mouth before shouting, "I love Haley James!" He yelled out.

Haley looked at him, laughing and raising her eyebrows, shaking her head at him. "What are you doing?"

"I told you, I want everyone to know." He said to her, before continuing to yell.

She quickly turned him towards her, wrapping her arms around his waist, standing on her toes and kissing him quickly.

He closed his eyes, holding her close to him, returning her kiss urgently, gripping onto her tightly.

Haley was the one who unfortunately broke their kiss. She smiled up at him, sliding her hands up his chest, and down his arms. "I love you too." She whispered to him, smiling slightly.

Nathan looked down at her, letting out a deep breath. "Good." He said, smiling, before turning away from her, beginning to lay out the blanket across the rooftop.

He sat down, holding out his hand to her and nodding for her to come join him.

Haley smiled as she did, sitting down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder for a brief moment. "Thank you." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. "It feels nice... To feel like this." She said, gesturing between them.

He nodded, smiling at her and kissing her forehead. "I know." He said, reaching over and grabbing her food out of the bag, setting it down in her lap.

The two of them ate in silence, before Nathan laid back on the fairly uncomfortable ground, grabbing Haley's hand and tugging her down with him.

Haley quickly rested her head against his shoulder, one hand rested on his stomach.

"I don't want you to go." She told him quietly, letting out a deep breath.

"I don't want to go either." He said softly, brushing his fingers up her arm. "I want to stay with you, and with Jamie." He sighed softly, glancing down at her. "I do have a game in Charlotte this weekend, I don't know... Maybe you and Jamie can come.." He said quietly.

Haley lifted up her head, smiling down at him. She had not been to one of his games since before he was in the NBA. For some reason, watching him on the court had gotten much harder since they'd separated. There had been many times where Jamie had begged her to go with him, but she just couldn't face it.

"I would love to come." She said, brushing her fingers through his hair, kissing him briefly, before laying her head back down on his shoulder.

He grinned slightly, brushing his fingertips over her arm. "Great. I'll find you the best seats in the house. Not court side, of course. Can't risk getting distracted by your sexy face. Or risk a six-something, two hundred pound guy falling on you. Or a basketball hitting you." He said, chuckling quietly. "Maybe you better sit way up at the top. Or just watch it on TV from my place in Charlotte." He joked, looking up at the sky.

She laughed, nuzzling her nose into his shirt, letting out a deep breath. "I'm excited to see you in your element."

"I'll probably play like shit." He laughed, shaking his head. "Just kidding. I don't get nervous." He hummed, kissing her head. "But we are playing the Cavaliers, and Isaiah Thomas is fast as hell. Not to mention Lebron is ruthless." He said, letting out a deep breath. "And with the addition of Dwayne Wade... They're pretty good. And you have no idea who I'm talking about, so..."

She looked at him, smiling at him. "Which team does Michael Jordan play on?" She asked him.

He looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. "Tell me you're kidding, right now."

She laughed, tracing her fingers over his chest. "I'm kidding." She said, kissing his chin. "I love you. And no matter what, you're going to do great and I'm going to love watching you."

"Thank you." He said, smiling down at her. "You scared me for a second."

She laughed again, rolling her eyes. "Please, Nathan. It wouldn't be the end of the world. But I have listened to a few of the things that you and Luke have said over the years. And I don't live under a rock." She said, smiling at him.

"You spent quite a bit of time under me last night, and I'm sort of like a rock." He said, smirking slightly.

She smacked his chest lightly, shaking her head. "Quiet." She said, pressing herself closer to him as the wind started blowing a little bit.

Nathan held her closer to him, rubbing the goosebumps on her arm. "What kind of a dick am I? Taking my girl outside in October. It's only in the sixties, and we were both just sick." He groaned, shaking his head. "We can leave, if you want. I'm sure this isn't very comfortable anyways."

She shook her head, "No, no. I'm perfectly happy right here. Plus, I get to lay on you. You're the one that's stuck on the ground." She chuckled, rubbing his stomach lightly. "It's not that cold, really."

He nodded his head, letting out a deep breath, staring up at the sky. "Okay." He responded, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.

Haley glanced up at him, smiling slightly. This was perfect. She could honestly lay here on the uncomfortable ground forever, as long as it was Nathan sitting next to her.

"What are we going to do about my mom?" He asked her after a moment of silence.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know, Nathan. I've been waiting for you to tell me." She chuckled, "She is your mom."

"Maybe next time I'm in town... We give up one of these still moments that were having right now, and go to lunch with her." He said, blowing out a deep breath. "Maybe."

"If that's what you want to do, that's what I want to do." She said softly, lifting up her head and looking down at him. "Is that what you want?"

"I think so. But no Skills. I don't want him there." He said, shaking his head.

Haley smiled, nodding her head. "Sounds fair to me." She said, kissing him softly. "I'm a little hesitant."

"I know." He said, pulling her close to him. "But really, despite the whole Skills thing... I feel like she's trying. Which means something to me. Because I thought I'd given up hope when it came to my mom a long time ago."

"I wish I could help you somehow, Nathan. Put back all of the pieces that your parents took from you." Haley said, brushing her fingers through his hair.

He smiled at her, "You help me every second of every day, Haley James. Just by being you." He hummed, pulling her down into a quick kiss. "Cheesy. Again."

Haley laughed, sitting up and looking at the time on her phone, sighing softly. "I should probably get back."

"Yeah?" He asked her, sitting up slowly and stretching his back. "Why don't you fake sick and we take the rest of the day off?"

"I wish I could. You have a flight in two hours, and I don't have a substitute. So looks like you're stuck without me. I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head.

"It's okay. I just really can't wait until Friday, when you and Jamie come to Charlotte." He said, kissing her head. "I don't know if I'll have enough energy after the game to do the things that I want to do to you. I thought I would leave you with a nice farewell, so that way, you're content with me just falling asleep after the game."

She raised her eyebrow, looking at the time again. "Well..." She trailed off, letting out a deep breath. She looked at Nathan, lifting up his shift, and examining the toned muscles in his stomach. She grabbed the sleeve of his shift, squeezing his bicep softly.

"I'm feeling very objectified right now." Nathan chuckled, raising his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if you're worth being a little later than planned." She informed him, turning his head to the side, trailing her finger over his jaw.

"What's the verdict?" He laughed, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, as mind blowing as it would be on the roof, I think if you really want to leave me with the best parting that you can... You should probably take me home." Haley said, standing up and winking at him.

Nathan smirked, getting to his feet quickly, gathering up the blanket and the takeout boxes. "I promise, this can be quick."

"Mm, every girls dream words." She teased, winking at him. "Alright, chop chop. Let's get going."

xxxx

"I told all my friends that my Mommy and Daddy were in love." Jamie informed his father, grinning at him into the camera.

Nathan smiled brightly, "I told all my friends that too." He said, letting out a deep breath and shifting in his bed.

"My friends wish that you were their dad." Jamie hummed out, looking up at Haley and snuggling into her side.

Haley ruffled his damp hair, pulling him in close to her, pressing her face into his shampoo smelling hair.

"Yeah?" Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Is it because I'm super cool?"

"Yeah." Jamie hummed, his eyes fluttering a little bit.

Nathan smiled at his son, letting out a deep breath. He looked so perfect. Haley and Jamie cuddled up in her bed. He wanted to be on the other side of them, so they could sandwich Jamie in between them. "Are you tired, little bear?" He asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"A little." Jamie admitted, his rad resting against Haley, letting out a deep sigh.

"Maybe you should go to bed. It's getting a little late." Nathan said, glancing at the time. "It's almost nine."

"I don't want to." Jamie pouted, sticking out his lower lip.

"I can call you tomorrow, Jamie. Don't worry." Nathan chuckled, smiling at Haley, pushing his fingers through his hair.

Jamie let out a quiet whine, shaking his head. "No." He pouted, leaning forward slightly as Haley began to rub his back.

"Hey, if you're a good boy all week and do what Mom says, then you can come to my game this weekend. In Charlotte." He said, nodding at him.

Jamie's eyes widened, sitting up quickly. "Yes!" He shouted, nodding. "I want to come! Please!"

"Mom is coming with you, so no staying up late and partying with hot girls like we usually do." Nathan said, sticking his fist up.

Jamie bumped his fist into the camera, grinning up his mother. "You're coming?"

"I wouldn't miss it." Haley said, smiling down at him, kissing his forehead.

"I like our family." Jamie said, standing up on the bed, kissing the top of Haley's head. "Talk to you tomorrow, Daddy." He said, jumping off he bed. "Come tuck me in." He said to Haley, before running away.

Haley smiled, shaking her head. "That's your kid." She informed Nathan. "Tell me about these hot girls you're exposing our son to."

"I believe the kid told you what the plan was. Go tuck him in. I'll be waiting here." He said, smiling at her.

Haley shook her head, sticking her tongue out at him before heading out of the room.

When she returned, both Clay and Quinn were sitting on either side of Nathan on the bed.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you two have been caught." Clay said, slapping Nathan's shoulder.

"Caught doing what, exactly?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

Quinn rested her head on Nathan's shoulder, rolling her eyes. "We caught lover boy taking his shirt off."

"I wasn't going to take anything else off." Nathan grumbled, looking up at the ceiling and letting out a loud sigh. "What are you two doing here anyways?"

"We brought you dinner." Clay hummed, resting his head on Nathan's other shoulder. He raised his eyebrows, lifting his head up, before laying it back down. "Yes. Okay. I get it how, Haley. He's got the shoulders of a God."

"I was thinking that too." Quinn laughed, linking her arm through Nathan's. "I feel like your shoulder was made for my head."

"Mine too!" Clay laughed, reaching over and high-fiving her.

Nathan let out a deep breath, shaking his head. "Thanks for bringing me dinner. You can go now."

"No can do, friend. I have to talk to you about your shoot tomorrow. Let me see the goods again, make sure you're still toned." Clay joked, smirking at him. "I brought Quinn to play the other half."

Quinn laughed, rolling her eyes, pressing her nose into Nathan's shoulder. "Mm... You smell nice."

Nathan hesitated for a moment, "That's my- no. No, I'm not doing this." He grumbled.

Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. "Come on, Nate." She teased him, smiling.

Nathan let out a deep breath, setting his laptop in Quinn's lap. "Come on, Clay. Let's go talk."

Clay nodded, waving at Haley and standing up and leaving the room quickly.

"This bed is comfy." Quinn said, looking around. "You're in for a treat when you this next weekend."

Haley smiled at her, shrugging. "Anywhere Nathan is... That's where I want to be." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Cheesy. What about me?" Quinn laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"You too. Are you ever coming back?" Haley laughed, raising her eyebrows. "I still have stuff of yours at my house."

"Yeah, I'm coming back next week. I was planning on staying a weekend, yet here I am a month later. Good thing I pack heavy." Quinn laughed, shrugging. "How did everything go today?"

"I talked to Brooke." Haley said, shrugging. "She was surprisingly okay with it. I think Nathan said something that impressed her."

"I'm glad she's okay. I know how upset you'd be if your friendship with her ended." Quinn said, smiling at her.

"She said something weird to me, and I haven't said anything to Nathan yet because I'm not quite sure what to think." Haley said, shrugging.

"Tell me." Quinn said, nodding at her.

"Well she asked me when it started. And then she asked if it was during her event in New York. She told me that she was the one that made our car stop a couple blocks away." Haley said, frowning. "But if she wasn't okay with it... Why would she do that?"

"Maybe she just saw two suffering souls. Or maybe she has been on board, but needed Nathan to prove that he wouldn't do it again." Quinn said, shrugging.

Haley nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. "I don't know. She's definitely something else." She said, leaning back. "You and Clay seem happy."

"I'm incredibly happy. For once, it seems like we both are. You and me." Quinn said, smiling at her. "I'm feeling the same feelings as you, Hales. So don't let go of it because it feels so good."

Haley smiled at her, "You never give it up either, Quinny. Clay is a great guy."

"So is Nathan. We got lucky." Quinn laughed, looking over as Nathan walked back into the room, jumping on the bed.

"Bye Quinn." Haley said, waving at her and laughed.

Quinn laughed, standing up. "Forced out by my sister. Bye Hales! Call me." She hummed, exiting the room.

Nathan listened for the sound of his front door slamming, letting out a deep breath "They're a handful."

She smiled at him, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I miss you already."

"I miss you too, baby. I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." She responded, biting her lip. Those three words still felt perfect leaving her mouth. No matter what anyone else said, she loved Nathan Scott.

Nathan smiled at her, leaning back against his headboard, raising his eyebrow. "Where's your head?"

Haley laughed, eyeing him. "I'm just wondering..." She began, grinning. "Have you ever actually worn Rainstorm Body Spray on a date?"


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter is basically Naley fluff.**

 **Chapter 25**

Nathan ran his fingers through his hair, repeatedly, his head down as he sat on the bench in the locker room. A few of his team mates walked passed him, patting him on the shoulder, mumbling a quiet "Good game" or a sympathetic "We'll win the next one" to him. He couldn't believe this. He'd played his heart out, he really had. But they'd lost in a blow out. Down by thirty points once the game ended. It's a horrible feeling losing any game by that much, especially at home. It was especially embarrassing, considering the circumstances.

He blew out a deep breath, pressing his face into his hands, before picking up a towel and wiping off his face, throwing it into his locker and shaking his head at himself. "Dammit." He mumbled quietly, leaning over to unlace his shoes. He really didn't want to go face his disappointed son. Thankfully, he'd told Haley to take him home after the game, because he didn't know exactly how long he would need to stay after.

This was definitely not the game that he would've chosen for them to come see. He almost regretted inviting them to it. Having his girlfriend and son there to watch him get dunked on, and yell in another guy's face was definitely not ideal. He let out a deep breath, resting his elbows on his knees, shaking his head at himself. It was weird, but right now he definitely didn't want to go home.

He let out a deep breath, picking up his phone when it started buzzing, seeing Clay's name and goofy picture show up on the screen.

"Hello?" He grumbled into the phone, rubbing his neck lightly.

"Hey Nathan. Why don't you stop by my house on the way to your place?" Clay suggested, letting out a deep breath. "I want to run over some things with you. I know Haley and Jamie are here, but we should talk. It won't take too long. Fifteen minutes."

"Yeah... I'll head over there in a little bit." Nathan said slowly, hanging up on his friend, before tossing his phone into his locker. Well, there was one way to avoid going home.

xxxx

About twenty minutes later, he walked into Clay's dark house, raising his eyebrows and heading into the kitchen, where the light was on.

Clay looked up from his phone, holding his finger to his lips and gesturing to the seat across from him.

"What's going on, Clay?" Nathan asked, frowning slightly. He couldn't think of anything that he could've done wrong.

Clay looked around the house, "Quinn is asleep, so you don't need to worry about her listening in." He said, tapping his fingers on the table.

"You're kind of freaking me out, man. What did I do wrong?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows at his friend, letting out a deep breath.

Clay looked around, "It's more like what you're doing right." He said, standing up slowly, beginning to pace around the kitchen, before turning to look at Nathan. "You've received an interesting offer. The season just started, as you know."

Nathan blinked at him, nodding his head slowly. "Yeah..." He trailed off, looking up at him.

"Your initial answer is going to be no, but I want you to think about it." Clay said, pushing his hand through his hair. "I've been talking with the Miami Heat this past week."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, standing up slowly. "Clay..." He began, shaking his head.

"Listen to me." Clay said, leaning against the island in the middle of his kitchen. "I've been talking with the Miami Heat, and they are not impressed by the way that their season has started off."

Nathan crossed his arms, shaking his head again. Clay was right. He could see where this was going, and his initial answer was no.

"They want Nathan Scott on their roster." Clay said simply, shrugging.

"I already have a contract with the Hornets." Nathan argued, letting out a deep breath.

"I know, but it's almost up. They're prepared to offer you a four-year deal with them. At twenty-three million dollars a year, Nathan. If you do the math, that's ninety-two million dollars." Clay said to him, letting out a deep breath. "I think I could get them up for twenty-five million. What's twenty-five million times four? One hundred million dollars."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, sitting down in the chair once again, letting out a deep breath. "Wow." He said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Right now, your contract with the Hornets is eighteen million a year." Clay reminded him, shrugging his shoulders. "We're talking around seven million extra. Do you know how much ice cream you could buy a little boy with seven million extra dollars in your pocket?"

"A lot of ice cream." Nathan said, resting his forehead on the back of the chair. "Florida is far away from Tree Hill."

"Nathan, you were going to sign with the Lakers until the Hornets offered you a deal. California is further from Tree Hill." Clay said, letting out a deep breath and sitting down again. "Trust me, Nathan. I don't want to pressure you one bit. I know how important your family is to you, and I know that Haley is set on living in Tree Hill. I wouldn't ever do anything to jeopardize your happiness, buddy. I just think that you should consider this."

"I'll think about it." Nathan said, standing up. "But I'm already telling you, it'll probably be a no. I like these guys, and I like this team." He said, shrugging. "I like having Haley and Jamie so close to me."

Clay nodded, "Whatever you decide, I'll respect it. But I think you should consider it." He said, standing up. "Now go home, see your son."

Nathan nodded, smiling slightly at his friend. "Until the next time, Agent Clay." He said, chuckling quietly, before heading out of the house, closing the door behind him quietly.

xxxx

Nathan arrived home, stepping into the house through the garage, his head spinning slightly with the information Clay just provided him with. He glanced at the clock on his phone. It was almost ten. Jamie probably wouldn't be up still. He had not had the chance to speak with Haley, nor Jamie before the game, so he was excited to see them.

He only took about three steps into the house, before a sleepy five year old was barreling into his legs.

"Daddy!" Jamie yelled, hugging him tightly, grinning up at him.

Nathan smiled, scooping up his son, who was wearing his jersey and pajama bottoms up. "Jimmy Jam!" He said, ruffling Jamie's hair, hugging him tightly. "I missed you." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I had so much fun! You did so awesome." Jamie said, ruffling Nathan's hair. "I like watching you way better than watching it on TV." He said, shaking his head. "When Coach took you out in the third quarter, I almost yelled! You would've won." He pouted.

Nathan smiled, shaking his head at his son's enthusiasm. "Is it going to be hard to put you to bed tonight, Jame?"

"I don't want to go to bed." Jamie complained, shaking his head. "Let me show you my favorite play, please?"

Nathan chuckled, setting him down. "Alright, do you want to take me outside, or show me in the little hoop in your room?"

"Let's just do my room. It will be easier." Jamie said, tugging on Nathan's arm.

"Where's Mom?" Nathan asked Jamie as he tugged him along, raising his eyebrows.

"She's getting ready for bed. She told me to go to bed and I laid there for a little while but I just couldn't handle it when I heard the garage open." Jamie said quickly, continuing to pull on Nathan's arm.

Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "I thought we agreed that if I started dating her, you'd go to bed on time." He said, following Jamie up the stairs to his room.

"This doesn't count." Jamie said, pushing open the door, rushing over to get his little rubber basketball. "Ready?" He asked, turning to Nathan.

"Tell me where you want me to stand." He laughed, moving as Jamie positioned him in front of the hoop, the rim reaching his waist. He looked at Jamie, getting into guarding position. "Show me what you've got, Scott."

Jamie began to dribble the ball, making eye contact with Nathan, smirking slightly. "This is what you do." He said, pausing to point at his mouth. "I've been practicing it, so I could do it with you." He said, smirking once again.

Nathan laughed, shaking his head at his goofy son. It was adorable, really.

Jamie continued to dribble, faking as though he was going to go left, causing Nathan to hurry in that direction, though the young father was positive his son was going to go right.

He did just that, driving to the right, where Nathan "attempted" to move after him, but he wasn't quick enough, tripping on his own feet and falling down, watching as Jamie went up and dunked the ball.

Nathan jumped to his feet, picking Jamie up and holding him high. "Ah! Jamie Scott for the win!" He whisper-yelled, pretending to be a bunch of screaming fans. "Jamie! Jamie! Jamie!" He said, dropping his son on the bed and towering over him, beginning to tickle him.

Jamie burst into laughter, trying to push Nathan's hands off of him. "No! No! Stop!" He laughed, "That's not what happened after you dunked it." He managed to get out between laughs.

Nathan shook his head, "Sorry! I can't hear you, buddy. The screaming fans are yelling your name too loud." He chuckled, continuing to tickle him.

Jamie laughed even louder, both of them unaware of Haley's presence in the doorway, a smile pinned her her face.

Haley cleared her throat, watching both of their heads snap in her direction.

"I didn't do it!" Jamie said quickly, pointing up at Nathan. "It was his fault."

"Dude! Throwing me under the bus." Nathan chuckled, tickling Jamie once more, before standing up straighter, walking over to Haley. "Hey you." He said, pressing a very brief kiss to her lips, before looking over at Jamie. "You're lucky I'll take the blame for this one."

Haley smiled, resting her hand on Nathan's back, letting out a deep breath. It felt nice to see him. It felt even better to see him and their son playing together. A sight she would never get tired of seeing.

Nathan looked over at Jamie, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "You know, Jame... If you pair that smirk up with your puppy dog eyes, Mom will give you anything you ask for. What do you say we put it to the test and watch a movie tonight?" He suggested, nodding at his son.

"Whatever you two are talking about isn't going to work on me." Haley said, smiling at them. "It's way past your bedtime, James."

Jamie looked up at Nathan, before looking at his mother, doing as Nathan had suggested. "Can we please stay up and watch a movie? It's Friday." He said, before smirking at her.

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes flickering to Nathan, who had a similar expression on his face. She was gone. As usual, the Scott men had a certain type of hold over her. Of course they did. She's fallen for Nathan's smirk and puppy dog eyes for years, and of course it had to be passed down to their son.

"Fine. But I'm not carrying either of you up to bed. You've both had long nights, and if you fall asleep on the couch, I'm leaving you there." Haley said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yay!" Jamie cheered, rushing over and picking up the basketball once more. "Watch this shot, Mama. Let's do it again." He said, nodding at Nathan.

Nathan chuckled, getting into position once more, moving left as Jamie did, watching him go right instead, jumping to the basket and dunking it in.

"Wow!" Haley said, hurrying over to Jamie, kneeling down and peppering kisses all over his face. "You're the best basketball player I've ever seen! Can I please have your autograph, Jamie Scott? I'm your biggest fan!" She said, hugging him close.

Jamie took a step back, holding up his hand. "Sorry, lady. I only love my Mama." He said, smirking at her once more.

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest." Haley laughed, pulling him into and Eskimo kiss, rubbing her nose against his. "Good answer too." She said, standing up. "Let's go get that movie started. You can go to bed as soon as it's over." She said, rubbing her son's back and looking at Nathan.

Jamie rushed out of the room, leaving his parents alone for a moment.

Nathan let out a deep breath, visibly looking more exhausted as soon as his son left the room. "Hey." He said, wrapping his arm around Haley, pulling her into a side hug.

Haley smiled at him, winding her arm around his waist, rubbing his side softly. "You doing okay?" She asked him quietly. "You look pretty tired."

"Exhausted." He chuckled, looking to the doorway that Jamie had exited. "I don't know how he can have so much energy."

"He just watched his hero put up a damn good fight, that's why." She said, resting her head on his shoulder for a brief moment, looking around his room.

"And then fall on his ass and choke at the very end." He sighed, shaking his head. "Who am I kidding? We had no chance from the start of the second quarter."

She smiled up at him, resting her hand on his cheek, turning his head down to look at her. "Stop it." She said softly, brushing her thumb over his smooth cheek. "You did amazing."

Nathan smiled, leaning down an kissing her lightly. "I love you." He whispered to her, looking towards the doorway when Jamie poked his head back in the room.

"Come on!" He called out, before running down the hall again.

Nathan laughed, kissing Haley's forehead. "It looks like we've been summoned. Don't want to make the king angry." He said, grabbing onto Haley's hand, and following after Jamie.

xxxx

Haley looked down once the movie was over, smiling slightly. Nathan was asleep on her shoulder, and Jamie was asleep on his.

She raised her hand, gently pushing it through Nathan's hair, massaging his scalp lightly, before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. She really didn't want to disturb him, but if they all fell asleep like this, it would be hell in the morning.

She let out a deep breath, brushing her hand up his leg, before shaking him lightly. "Nate." She said softly, pushing on his stomach softly. "Wake up, baby." She said, smiling down at him.

Nathan blinked his eyes open, groaning quietly and sitting up a bit straighter, looking down at Jamie and smiling slightly. "Sorry." He said softly, letting out a deep breath.

She smiled, standing up slowly. "Will you carry him up to bed?" She asked him softly, smoothing the back over her hand over Nathan's cheek.

Nathan nodded, carefully standing up, scooping Jamie up quickly, letting out a deep breath.

Haley pressed a light kiss to Jamie's head, before watching Nathan take him up the stairs, smiling slightly. She found the TV remote, turning off the TV and beginning to clean up the mess that Jamie had made with popcorn, shaking her head.

She headed up the stairs, looking around the house and smiling slightly. It was a beautiful house. Nathan had fairly good taste. She headed into Nathan's bedroom, finding him standing in the bathroom, brushing his teeth with a rather blank expression on his face.

She chuckled quietly, walking in and pressing a light kiss to his cheek, rubbing his back softly.

"Hm?" He mumbled, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"I didn't say anything." She laughed, shaking her head. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah... Just pretty tired." He said, letting out a deep breath.

He wasn't kidding when he told her that he would be exhausted after that game. He looked like he could practically fall asleep standing up.

She began to get ready for bed, smiling slightly because once he was finished, he hopped up on the counter top to wait for her, smiling lazily at her.

"You're beautiful." He mumbled, winking at her, letting out a deep breath.

Haley laughed, resting her hand on his knee, shaking her head. "Thank you." She mumbled, eventually zipping up her night bag, letting out a deep breath and looking at him. "Think you can make it to bed, superstar?"

"If you go get in it, that'll be the incentive I need." He said, smirking at her.

She smiled at him, nodding her head and heading out of the bathroom.

Nathan quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, brushing his fingers through his hair, googling the distance between Tree Hill and Miami. Nearly 800 miles. Nope.

He let out a deep breath, shaking his head and stepping out of the bathroom, beginning to strip his clothes on the way to bed, tossing them around the room until he was left in his boxer-briefs, falling into bed next to Haley, climbing under the covers, looking over at her.

She smiled at him, rolling onto her side so that she was facing him. "You did great tonight, Nathan." She said softly, brushing her fingers down his chest.

He looked over at her, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles, staring up at the ceiling. "What is it about Tree Hill that you like so much?" He asked her, looking over at her once again.

Haley propped up her head, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "It's my home. And it feels like it's my home. Every time I set foot on the Rivercourt, I can see myself watching Lucas play there. Clothes over Bro's feels like Karen's Cafe to me. I drive past my childhood home and I think of all the memories I have there, with my crazy parents. Or fighting with Taylor. Laughing with Quinn." She said, letting out a deep breath. "You sneaking up into my bedroom." She said, winking at him. "I like the beaches." She said, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to his chest. "I like the way it smells after it rains in Tree Hill, it's unlike any other. I like the memories the rain in Tree Hill brings."

"Those are a lot of reasons to love it." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"Why do you ask?" She questioned him, scratching her fingernails over his stomach lightly.

"Just wondering." He said quietly, shrugging his shoulders, smiling at her. "I'm really glad you're here."

She smiled at him, kissing him briefly, before resting her head against his chest, "I really liked watching you play tonight." She said softly.

"You should come when I play somewhere else..." He trailed off, shrugging slightly. "With or without Jamie."

Haley lifted up her head, looking at him again. "Is that your own little way of proposing we go away together?" She asked him.

"Maybe." He chuckled, looking up at the ceiling. "Don't you want to see what it's like out of North Carolina?"

"I've left North Carolina before." She said, smiling at him and kissing his cheek softly. "I would love to go somewhere with you." She said quietly, resting her head back down on his chest.

"Okay." He said, letting out a deep breath, looking down at her and smiling slightly, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head.

"You don't have to stay awake for me, Nathan. I know that you're exhausted." She said quietly, rubbing her hand over his stomach.

Nathan laughed, pulling her closed to him. "Okay." He said again, gently brushing his finger tips over her arm. "It's a great feeling knowing that you'll be here when I wake up in the morning."

She let out a deep breath, lightly rubbing her fingertips up and down his side in an attempt to relax him. "Mhm." She hummed, closing her eyes.

Nathan let his eyes fall shut as well, smiling as Haley's presence surrounded him. She was one of the two best things in his life, and he wanted her to know that.

xxxx

Haley felt around the empty bed in the morning, frowning when her palm was met with cold bed sheets and no Nathan. She blinked her eyes open, sitting up slowly, looking around the room and letting out a deep breath. She looked over at the clock, sighing softly. It was only eight-thirty, an unusual time for Nathan to be awake if he didn't have to be. She looked around his room, standing up slowly and cleaning up the mess of clothes that he left last night, setting them in his laundry basket. She slowly headed down the stairs, stopping on them when she heard Nathan's voice from the kitchen.

"Shit! Ouch. Jamie, move back." Nathan said, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Don't say shit, Jamie. Sorry."

"Why not?" Jamie asked him.

"Because it's a bad word. Daddy shouldn't be saying it either. If mom heard me saying that around you, she'd have my head." He chuckled.

"Okay, I won't say it around her." Jamie said, before laughing.

"Jamie!"

"I won't say it at all!" Jamie laughed again.

"That's my boy." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath.

Haley stepped down the stairs, looking at the two of them standing in the kitchen, Jamie sitting on the counter, kicking his legs and watching Nathan. She waved at Jamie, holding a finger to her lips and sneaking up behind Nathan, pushing her fingertips into his side, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Nathan jumped slightly, glancing over his shoulder. "You're supposed to be in bed." He groaned, shaking his head. "We were making you breakfast, but this damn bacon keeps shooting fireballs back at me. Jamie- don't say that either." He grumbled, letting out a deep breath.

Haley hit his back gently, "Watch your mouth, Scott." She said, resting her head against his shoulder, before stepping away, walking to Jamie and kissing his head. "Hi baby."

"Hi Mama! We're making you breakfast." Jamie informed her, smiling brightly at her.

She grinned at him, kissing him again. "Thank you so much, Jamie." She said, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"What about me?" Nathan asked, looking over at her and kinking his eyebrow.

"Don't want you to burn the bacon." She said, winking at him. "Jamie, why don't we leave him to this and you and I go watch cartoons?"

"Not fair." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Jamie, why don't we go watch cartoons and let her finish?" He asked, nodding at him.

Jamie looked between them, "Um... I'll go watch cartoons, and you help him, because he definitely needs it." He said, holding out his arms to Haley.

Haley helped him off the counter, nodding and smiling at him. "Alright, baby. I will help him, you go watch." She said, ruffling his hair and watching as he rushed away.

Nathan looked over at her, smiling slightly. "Hey beautiful. I really wanted to treat you nice, you know? So why don't you go get back in bed?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "It looks like you might need my help here." She said, brushing her hand over his back. "I wanted you next to me this morning." She said softly, glancing towards the living room where Jamie was.

Nathan glanced over at her. "Oh?" He chuckled, winking at her. "It's too bad I attempted to make you breakfast. Damn, me. I'm too nice."

"I can think of another way you could've woken me up." She said softly, pressing a light kiss to his arm.

He shook his head, "Don't you distract me, Haley James. I'm trying to cook bacon." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I knew you were tired last night, but I feel like you haven't even given me a proper kiss since we've gotten here." She said, lifting up his shirt a bit, sliding her fingertips over his warm skin.

"Well, Jamie is sitting right over there." He said, his cheeks tinting red, shrugging slightly.

"Don't get all embarrassed on me, Nathan Scott." She said softly, glancing over her shoulder, stepping behind him, slipping her hands up into his shirt, rubbing them over the muscles in his back.

"Haley, you better knock it off." He chuckled, taking the bacon off the pan, setting it on the awaiting plate. "He's right there."

"He's watching cartoons." She said, brushing her lips over the back of his neck.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder at her, letting out a deep breath. He turned around, removing her hands from his skin, pulling her close to him. "I had some stuff ob my mind. I can't believe I forgot to kiss the hell out of you." He said softly, cupping her cheeks, leaning down and kissing her deeply.

Haley wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him against her, her hands roaming his back. She stood on her toes a bit, closing her eyes, bunching his shirt up in her hands.

He pulled back after a second, smiling down at her. "You're right. I should've done that last night." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Why'd you stop then?" She asked, winking up at him.

"You're being a little frisky today." He said, laughing quietly. "What's going on?"

"I just haven't seen you since Monday." She said, running her fingers through his hair. "And last night you fell asleep watching Cars, which is one of your favorites." She said, pinching his sides softly.

"I'm sorry, baby." He said softly, kissing her forehead. "I love you." He whispered, rubbing his hands up her arms. "I just played extra hard last night, and I've had some stuff going through my head. But tonight, I'll show you how sorry I am." He said, winking at her.

She smiled up at him, brushing the back of her hand over his cheek. "I like you." She said softly, kissing him once more. "I can't wait." She hummed, reaching behind him and picking up a piece of bacon. "Thanks for making me breakfast, you amazing man."

He smiled at her, kissing her forehead and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry I'm the worst boyfriend in the whole entire world and forgot to give you some good loving." He said, winking down at her.

"Some good loving?" She laughed, shaking her head. She pinched his cheek softly, "You're the best boyfriend. Ever." She hummed, standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. "Why don't you let me finish making breakfast? Go spend time with Jamie." She said softly, nodding at him.

Nathan let out a deep breath, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I want you to come with." He said, smiling at her. "Maybe we could leave Jamie with Clay and Quinn for a little bit, and I could show you just how nice the tub in my bathroom is." He hummed, letting out a deep breath.

Haley raised her eyebrows, smiling slightly. "Sounds nice." She said softly, glancing over her shoulder at Jamie. "Are you sure, though? I know how much you miss him." She said, shrugging slightly. "I can wait until tonight."

Nathan looked past her, his eyes narrowing in on Jamie, before shifting back to Haley. "I think I can give up an hour or two." He said, nodding at her.

Haley brushed her fingers through hair hair, pulling him down once more, kissing him softly. "You better go watch with him, otherwise I might not be able to stop myself from kissing you for another ten minutes."

He laughed, grabbing her hand and twirling her around, before dipping her down, kissing her once more.

She blinked in surprise, her eyes falling shut, her hand moving to rest on the side of his neck, relaxing in his arms. Her eyes stayed close when he raised her up to her feet a short while later, letting out a deep breath. "Wow. You're good." She said, smiling at him.

Nathan nodded at her, "I try." He said, smirking at her. "Thank you, baby. For doing all of this. For coming up." He said softly, stepping away, blowing her another kiss and laughing. "I'll just be in there if you need me." He said, pointing towards the couch.

She smiled at him, nodding her head and turning back to the oven, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. She had it bad for Nathan Scott.

xxxx

Nathan smiled slightly as Haley relaxed against him, her head rested back against his shoulder, her eyes falling closed. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her head.

Haley turned her head slightly, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck, brushing her fingertips up and down his forearms, biting her lip. "Your house is beautiful." She said softly.

"Thank you." He responded, smiling at her, removing one arm from around her waist, resting his hand in her knee.

"This is probably my favorite part." She said, gesturing around. "This bath tub is amazing." She said, laughing.

"If I would've known that you were dying for my body, I would've dressed the place up a little more." He chuckled, looking around the bathroom. "Bought some candles or something. I didn't even think about it." He said, brushing his thumb over he knee. "Kinda thought we were past the point in our relationship."

"Oh, shut up." Haley laughed, blinking her eyes open. "I'm not sure I'll ever get past the point in our relationship where I, as you put it, miss your body."

He smiled, holding her tighter against him, kissing her head again. "I know, Clay and Quinn weren't even out of our driveway by the time you jumped me."

"You're just so sexy." She chuckled, kissing his hand lightly. "I missed you." She said, looking up at him and pressing a long kiss to the side of his neck.

"I would miss me too." He said, lifting up some of the bubbles in the tub. "Look at you. You're making me take a bubble bath. How could I miss you?"

"I didn't make you do anything." She laughed, grabbing his hand, resting it on her knee once again.

"I didn't take bubble baths before. The last bubble bath I took was with you." He grumbled, shaking his head. "What are you doing to me?"

"Mm... Making you relaxed. Because you should relax." She said, lifting her head up for a brief moment. "You could switch me places and I could give you a little back massage." She suggested, shrugging slightly.

"Nah." He said, winding his arms around her waist, kissing her ear lightly. "I like where we are right now. And I guess I don't hate being in a bubble bath. I guess I feel relaxed."

"You guess? Nathan, it doesn't get much better than this." She laughed, shaking her head. "Maybe you don't deserve this. These are the moments I live for. Relaxing."

"You live for this? Taking a bubble bath?" He asked her, squeezing her side lightly.

"Nathan, I deal with high school children and a hyper five year old all day long. What do you think?" She laughed, closing her eyes. "I can't believe this."

"Believe what?" He asked her curiously, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"I'm in your arms, naked, and all you can do is whine about taking a bubble bath." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

Nathan shook his head, "I'm not complaining. I said it was relaxing." He laughed, sliding his hand down her arm.

Haley looked up at him, "Remember the bath tub in our apartment? It was difficult to cram both of us in there, but we still managed to do it comfortably. I didn't hear you complaining back then." She said before laying her head back on his shoulder.

Nathan smiled slightly, nodding his head. "Yeah. Everything was cramped in that apartment." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Cramped, but it was nice."

"It was nice." She agreed. "I love you." She whispered to him, sucking in a deep breath.

He resting his head on hers, closing his eyes. "I love you too, you beautiful, amazing, gorgeous woman." He said quietly, stroking his fingertips up and down her arm, leaning further back.

Haley rested her hand on his knee, brushing her thumb along his skin, smiling. "I really wish you could come back with us." She said, sighing softly.

"You and me both." He said, smiling down at her. "But I'll be home Tuesday. Not next Tuesday, but the one after that."

"So you'll be home for Halloween." She said, smiling up at him. "You can take Jamie Trick or Treating."

"For the first time in his life." Nathan said, shaking his head. "Since you're the mean mom that wouldn't let him go."

"There are scary people out there, Nathan. And this is also the first year you could take him. I need his big, strong dad there to protect him." She said, digging her fingernails into his knee, looking at the indentations left there.

Nathan looked down at her, shifting slightly behind her, pushing her so that she was leaning forward ever so slightly, admiring her back.

She raised her eyebrows, glancing over her shoulder at him, "What are you doing?"

He brushed his finger down her spine, smirking. "You're sexy." He informed her, resting his hands on her hips. "Let's get out of here."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay here for more than twenty minutes." She chuckled, dipping her hand under the water. "The water is still warm. Let's just wait a little bit longer."

He let out a deep sigh, pressing his face into the crook over her neck, pressing a few soft kisses there, before he opened his mouth and started sucking hard on her skin. His fingers traveling up her body to brush against the underside of her breasts, gliding his tongue over her skin when he heard her gasp. After another three seconds, Haley was gone, wrapping a towel around herself.

"Come on." She said, tilting her head back at the bathroom door.

Nathan jumped up quickly, his fingers fumbling with the drain. He whipped around, pulling the towel off of her, picking her up and smirking slightly when her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Nathan! Dry off, or else your bed is going to get all wet." She commanded him, laughing.

He shook his head, "I think I'll take it." He said, kissing her briefly.

"I'm not doing your laundry later." She said to him, shaking her head, closing her eyes as he started to suck on her neck again.

He laughed against her skin, nodding. "Okay." He hummed, rushing out of the bathroom.

xxxx

"What happened to your neck, Mama?" Jamie asked her, watching her and Nathan clean up dinner, his eyes wide.

Haley glared at Nathan, before her gaze moved over to Jamie. "Oh, I don't know, Jamie." She said, moving her hand to rest on the mark left on her neck, shooting Nathan another glare when she felt his hand grab her butt behind the countertop.

Jamie looked at them, humming quietly and nodding his head. "Okay." He responded, tapping his fingers on the counter. "What are we going to do tonight?"

"Well, little Jimmy Jam. I was thinking that we could go shoot some hoops in the practice gym." He said, nodding at him and smiling. "Some of the guys just texted me earlier and invited me to come. They told me I had to bring you."

Jamie's eyes widened as he stared up at his father, "Are you serious?" He asked, nodding quickly.

"Of course! I left a little present for you on your bed." Nathan said, nodding, wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders.

Jamie rushed out of the room quickly, not giving his parents a second look.

Nathan looked down at her, kissing her head lightly, raising his eyebrows when she pushed his arm off and turned away from him.

"Haley." He laughed, glancing towards the stairs, shaking his head.

"No, this is embarrassing, Nathan. I tried to cover it up but it's still clear as day that I have a hickey." She said, pointing at her neck.

"You weren't complaint while I was giving it to you." He pointed out, smirking slightly. "I don't know what it is about you, Haley James." He said, his eyes gazing up and down her body, letting out a low whistle. "I want you so bad right now." He whispered, stepping towards her, resting his hands on the counter on either side of her, pressing himself up against her back.

Haley sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Don't say that. We're just about to leave and Jamie is home, don't say that."

"You make washing the dishes look so sexy." He said quietly to her, tilting his head down, kissing up her neck.

"What has gotten into you?" She asked him, leaning forward, letting out a deep breath.

"You have. Damn you look good." He said, "And you have a hell of an ass." He added, smirking at her.

He pulled back when Jamie came running down the stairs, wearing his very own practice uniform, a replica of the one Nathan was about to go put on.

Haley fanned herself off for a brief second, before looking at Jamie and smiling brightly. He looked so adorable. It was adorable that Nathan thought about their son all the time, bought him little presents so that they could match each other. She loved it. She loved them.

Nathan went upstairs to change, and of course, she sat back as watched them practice the whole time, unable to move her eyes from Nathan, except to watch Jamie. He was not lying when he said that Jamie was popular on the team. She'd watched him be thrown in the hair, hoisted up on shoulders, held up to dunk the ball. And he loved every minute of it.

He was practically bouncing off the walls when they got home, still on such a basketball high, the same way Nathan used to get when he won a game in high school or even in college.

The only way to get him settled was to unfortunately allow him to sleep in between the two of them.

Nathan chuckled quietly from his spot on the bed next to Jamie, brushing his fingers through his son's hair an looking over at Haley. "I love you two." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I had a few more plans to sweep you off your feet tonight, but this isn't so bad." He said softly.

Haley smiled at him, kissing her son on the head, looking over at Nathan, shaking her head. "No, it's not." She agreed, tracing her fingers over Jamie's cheek. "I love watching you two together." She said quietly, smiling at him. "You're a great dad, Nathan Scott."

"Thank you." He responded, smiling brightly, leaning back against the headboard. "I learned everything from you, really. Watching you with your nieces and nephews, and then watching you with Jamie once he was born."

"This isn't how I thought my life would turn out." She said softly, looking at Jamie, before meeting Nathan's gaze once again. "But it's so much better."

He nodded, letting out a deep breath, looking down at Jamie. "I talked to my mom. She said that she could do lunch next time I'm home. She would love to, actually." He said quietly. "If you're still okay with it."

Haley nodded, laying down on her side so that she was still facing the two of them, wrapping her arm around Jamie protectively. "I trust your judgement." She whispered.

Nathan smiled, mirroring her actions, but stretching out his arms to lay across both of them. "I love you, Haley." He whispered.

Haley smiled at him, winking at him. "I love you too, baby." She responded, letting out a deep breath. "Thankfully, our flight doesn't leave until six tomorrow, so we still have all day."

He nodded, looking between the two of them. "I'm lucky to have you."

She let out a deep breath, reaching her hand out and brushing it along Nathan's chest, before resting it on Jamie once again. "Right back at you."

Nathan lifted his head up, leaning across Jamie and kissing Haley briefly. "Goodnight, beautiful."

Haley smiled at him, closing her eyes and relaxing against the mattress. "Goodnight, Nathan."


	26. Chapter 26

**I like the way that this chapter plays out. I usually try to put some cute family moments in almost every chapter, and this one as some that made my heart melt while writing them. Thanks for reading. For anyone that is worried, I'm not planning on keeping Deb and Skills together for much longer. It's just such a cringey, uncomfortable thing that I wanted to add in.**

 **Chapter 26**

Nathan laughed, looking over at Haley, glancing under the table, watching her knee bounce up and down quickly, shaking his head. He rested his hand on her leg, stilling it slowly, raising his eyebrows at her.

"What?" Haley asked him, chewing on her bottom lip, letting out a deep breath and sighing softly. "Stop it." She said, looking away from him.

He leaned over, kissing her cheek, giving her knee a light squeeze. "I didn't say anything." He said, shrugging slightly.

"I don't care. I know in that pretty little head of yours you're making fun of me." She responded, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"No, I'm thinking about how much I want to cut out of this lunch and go make out in the back seat of my car." He said, scooting his hand up her leg a little bit.

Haley reached down, grabbing his hand to stop it. "Maybe after." She said, squeezing his hand lightly, biting her lip.

He shook his head, leaning over to kiss her, but she turned her head away. "Haley." He groaned, sighing softly. "Why?"

"We're waiting for your mom, Nathan." She laughed, resting his hand in his own lap before it immediately came to rest on her leg again. "Nathan..." She warned, biting her lip.

"I missed you, baby." He whispered, leaning over in pressing a light kiss to the side of her neck, closing his eyes. "A lot. I'm sure we could go and relieve some of your stress in the back of my car. Fifteen minutes couldn't hurt anyone? We're already ten minutes early. It balances out."

Haley closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. They were a little early... So the time would add up and only put them a little bit late. They could text Deb and say they were running late.

"Nathan, I only have a limited time for lunch." She said softly, biting her lip.

"And you want to spend it with my mom?" He asked her, sliding his hand further up her leg. "Oh, the things that I could be doing to you right now, Haley James."

"Nathan, you need to stop." She said quietly, sucking in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I need you, that's what I need." He said to her, glancing around, biting down on her earlobe.

Haley turned her head so that she was looking at him. His puppy dog eyes made her heart melt, so of course she just had to lean over and kiss him. And of course, he had to kiss her back.

Nathan smirked slightly, winking at her when she did eventually pull back. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her ear. "Hi baby." He whispered.

"Nathan, I'm a teacher. I can't have you doing this in public." She laughed, rolling her eyes, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"This is nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you later tonight." He hummed to her.

"Yeah, and how early does your flight leave tomorrow morning again?" She asked him, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath.

"Let's just say, I don't plan on getting much sleep tonight. And you shouldn't either." He whispered into her ear. "I'm going to pick up Jamie from school early once we're done with this, hang out with him for awhile, make him super tired, put him to bed early, and then I'm going to sweep you off your feet."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" She whispered back to him, letting out a slow, deep breath.

Nathan smirked, sliding his hand further up her leg. "Well..." He began, looking down quickly when her hand shoved his off, her posture stiffened, and she shoved we elbow into his ribs to get him away.

"Here she comes." Haley said quickly, standing up, nodding at Nathan to do the same.

A million thoughts were racing through her head as she saw Nathan's mother walking towards them. Most of them were a lot meaner that she would ever say out loud, and the rest were sorrowful. She glanced over in Nathan's direction as he stood up, grabbing onto her hand for a moment, squeezing it lightly, before moving to greet her.

Haley watched as he whispered something to her, before guiding her over to the table, pulling out her chair for her, guiding her into her seat, before moving to sit across from her, next to Haley. That notion warmed her heart a little bit. Seeing Nathan being so gentlemanly towards his mother. It eased her stress a bit as well.

Haley took her seat slowly, sending Deb a small smile. "Mrs. Scott." She said, clearing her throat and glancing over at Nathan.

"Haley." Deb said, sending her a warm smile. "It's nice to see you again, you look well."

"Oh yeah, I'm doing great." Haley responded, trying to keep the frosty edge out of her voice. "You appear to be doing much better than the last time I saw you. Besides the run in we had at Nathan's house, of course."

"Well, I'm not high as a kite, so if that's what you define as better." Deb joked, glancing over to her son, who was shaking his head slowly.

Haley gave a very unamused laugh, looking over at Nathan. "Funny." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Deb shifted slightly under Haley's intense gaze. "Nathan tells me you're a teacher. I think it suits you well, since you are probably the reason he graduated." She said, nodding her head.

"It's great." Haley responded, sending her a tight smile. "And where are you living now, Deb?"

"I actually live in Jacksonville, so it's about an hour drive." Deb responded, nodding at her.

"Uh huh." Haley said, looking over at Nathan, raising her eyebrows at him.

Nathan cleared his throat, shifting slightly. He was not expecting things to feel this uncomfortable. His mom had said a lot of cruel things to Haley, but he figured it would be pretty easy to change her perspective once they spoke to each other.

He pulled out his phone, sighing softly. "I took Jamie trick or treating for the first time last night." He informed his mother, pulling out his phone. "He dressed up as Batman. Every phone call I've had with him for the last week has been him asking what I think he should be. He's such a goofball."

Deb smiled down at the picture, scrolling to the side and looking up at Nathan, raising her eyebrows. "Is this you?"

Nathan looked at the picture, looking at his mother and shaking his head. "No." He responded quickly.

"That is you! I'm your mom, Nathan. Don't think I don't recognize you with a mask on." Deb laughed, smiling down at the picture.

"He needed a Robin. What was I supposed to do?" Nathan groaned, looking over at Haley and shaking his head, picking up his water, sighing softly.

"I don't blame you." Deb said, nodding at him. "He's adorable."

"It didn't take him long to talk him into it either." Haley added, smiling over at Nathan, kinking one eyebrow.

"He already had the costume ready, how was I supposed to say no?" He laughed, shaking his head. "It's not fair. You didn't even dress up, and I was a sidekick."

"Excuse me, I did dress up." Haley said, nudging him. "I was the girl that Batman and Robin saved." She reminded him, shrugging slightly. "I tried to convince him that I should be Robin, and you should be the damsel, but he didn't like that idea."

Nathan smiled slightly, resting his hand on her leg under the table, nodding his head. "He's funny." He chuckled, looking over at Deb. "How have you been, Mom?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "We haven't talked much since..."

"I made one of your friends better friends with me." Deb hummed, watching Nathan squirm slightly. "I am a woman, Nathan. I do have needs."

"Mom!" Nathan protested, shaking his head. "Stop it right now. I asked you how you're doing. Don't make me get mad."

"I'm not bad." Deb said, smiling slightly. "I saw something on the news of you two getting back together. I'm really happy for you." She said sincerely, nodding.

Haley examined her, grabbing onto Nathan's hand under the table. She seemed to be happy for them, which was a good sign.

"I guess people that are meant to be together will figure out their differences, one way or another." Haley said softly, giving Nathan's hand a light squeeze.

"Have you heard from Dad?" Nathan asked, squeezing Haley's hand again when he felt her tense up.

"You ask me that every time I see you, Nathan. I almost never hear from your father." Deb said, shaking her head. "Last I heard from him, he was on a beach with someone half his age."

"Kind of like you." Nathan grumbled in response, rolling his eyes.

"He only calls me to gloat." She responded, shrugging. "Have you heard from him?"

"Me? No, not really. The last time Dan called me was... Well, I think it was like two months ago." He said, shrugging slightly. "I usually hear from him about once a week for a month, and then he doesn't call until I either play really bad, or do something really awesome. Sometimes I think it's better that way though. Then I don't have to worry about him being an ass to me."

"Last time I spoke to him, he was surprisingly pleasant to me. I don't think he ever misses one of your games." Deb said, smiling slightly. "I feel like he has come a long way."

"But he still has a long way to go." Nathan said, shrugging. "It's whatever. I don't care that much, honestly. The only thing I care about is being a better father than he ever was."

"Well I'm positive the two of you are much better than we ever were to you, Nathan." Deb said, looking between them and smiling. "How are you parents, Haley?"

"They're doing very well. I keep trying to talk them into settling down somewhere, but they still like to travel from place to place. They're free spirits, that's for sure. They just set up their RV somewhere, stay there for a month, then they are off again. They bought a house a few hours away from here, but the are almost never there." She said, smiling slightly, shaking her head. "I'll never understand them."

Deb smiled, "Well it sounds like they're doing great." She said, letting out a deep breath.

Lunch was filled with small talk like that, and then the talking nearly stopped once they received their food. Deb was the first one to speak up after an awkward silence.

"I want to get everything on the table." Deb said, shaking her head. "I'm crazy, I know that. And I like being crazy." She said simply, looking between the two of them. "And I would like to sincerely apologize to both of you. There have been so many times, Nathan... Where you needed a mother, and I told you to screw off. And Haley, I treated you horribly. Both Dan and I did. Somewhere in our minds, we forgot that there is still good people in this world. Probably from spending so much time together. We forgot that there are such things as happy marriages. So I'm sorry for that. You were both so young, and I hit my low point after you cut me out of your lives. It's taken me years to get back to where I am today, and I'm sorry for everything I've ever said to you." She said, nodding at them.

Haley looked at Nathan, letting out a deep breath. "Deb..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "I believe you." She said simply, nodding her head. "But Jamie is my world. And I want to make sure that the people I surround him with are people that I can trust to take care of him. Do you understand that?"

Nathan looked over at his mother, clearing his throat, carefully laying his arm on the back of Haley's chair. "Mom, I want to let you into his life. But we need to make sure that you understand that we don't mess around when it comes to Jamie."

Deb looked at them, nodding her head. "Of course I understand that." She assured them, letting out a deep breath. "I've been clean for a long time now. I promise that I understand how important Jamie is to you. But I'm tired of looking at photographs of him. I promise, I won't go near him unless I have the approval of you two."

Haley nodded her head, looking up at Nathan once again, letting out a deep breath. This was so difficult for her. On one hand, she could see that Nathan really wanted to do this. It was amazing how much Deb appeared to have changed. She went from someone that so easily chose a bottle of pills over her own son, to someone that appeared to have her life mostly together. She could tell how sincere Deb was. But on the other hand... She was Deb Scott. Always full of crazy surprises.

After weighing her options for a moment, Haley nodded her head. "Nathan is going to pick up Jamie after this. Why don't you go with him?" She suggested quietly.

Nathan smiled slightly, squeezing Haley's shoulder. "Yeah, mom. Come with me." He said, nodding at her.

Deb smiled brightly, reaching across the table and laying her hand on Haley's hand carefully. "Thank you so much, both of you. I really would love to meet him."

"Good. Then it's settled, you're coming with me. Better bring your A-game, because we're going to play basketball." Nathan chuckled, smirking at her.

"I don't have to go by Grandma, do I?" Deb joked, smiling at the two of them.

"You're a grandma." He responded, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over as Haley checked her watch, and sighed softly.

"I have to head back." She announced, standing up. "It was nice to see you again, Deb." She said, offering her a small smile. "See you at home." Haley hummed, resting her hand on Nathan's jaw, pressing a brief kiss to his cheek.

"Bye, baby." He said, smiling at her and watching her rush away. He turned his gaze back to his mother, "Okay. I think that went well."

"I hope so." Deb responded, watching Haley go. "So, do you live together?"

"No, I just stay at her house the nights she has Jamie, and she stays at my house the nights I do. Usually when I'm home, I have him the whole time though, regardless." He said, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

Deb smiled at him, "I think you've done a great job, Nathan." She assured him, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, well... Thanks." He chuckled, looking at her. "Let me pay for this, then we can go pick him up. Are you ready to meet him?"

"Antwon has told me so much about him."

"Mom!" Nathan said, scowling at her. "Enough talking about Skills. I can't wait for you two to break up. So disgusting." He grumbled, picking up the check that had been placed on their table, walking over to the counter.

He returned a few minutes later, looking down at her. "Okay, Grandma, let's get going."

xxxx

Jamie rushed over to Nathan when he poked his head into the classroom, smiling brightly at his father.

"What are you doing here?" He asked him, looking up at her.

"Change of plans, buddy. Turns out you don't have school today, because I made some plans for us. I already checked you out at the office, so to tell Miss Lauren goodbye." Nathan said, ruffling Jamie's hair. "I'll get your backpack." He hummed, watching Jamie rush over to his teacher, stepping to the back of the classroom, picking up his son's backpack. He smirked slightly when following his farewell to his teacher, Jamie walked over to a dark haired girl and told her goodbye, before walking back over to his father.

"Come on." Jamie said, grabbing onto Nathan's hand, tugging him out of the classroom.

"Do you ever do anything in school? Kindergarten is easy." Nathan joked, keeping his grip tight on Jamie's hand so he wouldn't start running down the hall.

"We were playing." Jamie informed him, smiling up at him. "My backpack looks small on you."

"Yeah, okay. Who were you playing with? That dark haired girl?" Nathan teased him, winking down at him.

Jamie looked up at him, before looking away. "Who?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"What's her name, Jimmy Jam? I promise that I won't tell your mom." Nathan smirked, nudging his son.

"Madison." Jamie said, shaking his head and attempting to scurry from his fathers grip, instead he was tugged up off the ground and placed back at Nathan's side.

"I won't bring it up again." Nathan chuckled, winking at him. He stopped just before they got to the front door, waving at the receptionist when she sent him a flirty wave, turning and kneeling down in front of his son. "Okay, James." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"Does Miss Kinsey have a crush on you?" Jamie asked him, his eyes wide.

"What? Jamie, no." He laughed, shaking his head. "That's not what I have to talk to you about. Okay, so you remember when we were talking about my mom and dad the other day?"

Jamie nodded his head, looking past him at the woman in the office, before looking at his father. "Do you know her?" He asked, frowning slightly.

Nathan chuckled at his son's inability to focus. "Hey, buddy. Focus." He laughed, poking his son's stomach, shaking his head. "Listen to me. You remember, right?"

"Yeah." Jamie hummed, looking at his father.

"Good." Nathan sighed, letting out a deep breath. "Well what would you say if I brought my mom here because she wants to meet you?"

Jamie looked at him and nodded his head quickly. "Another grandma?" He asked his father, grinning.

"Yeah. Make sure to call her that as much as possible too. Your mom and I really want you to meet her, okay?" He said, standing up, resting his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "She's waiting in my car. She's going to watch us go play some basketball."

"Does she like basketball?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Um, Jamie... Who doesn't like basketball?" Nathan chuckled, scooping his son up. "Let's go outside and see her now. Her first name is Deb, so you can call her whatever you'd like." He said, letting out a deep breath.

Honestly, he was a little nervous about all of this. His parents were part of the reason he and Haley had split. Both of them filled her head with thoughts that he would be better off without her, and the fact that she'd believed it, even for a second, crushed him. Haley James was his girl, and he'd be damned if he let anything get in the way of them a second time. He hoped and prayed that his mother really had changed for the better, because right now, they were letting her into their world. Letting her meet Jamie was a big step, especially when Haley had just interacted with her for the first time in awhile that same day. She was too good for any of the people on this earth, honestly. He would've never given Deb a second glance if she said things to him that she had said to Haley. Hell, if him and Haley had never broken up, he probably still wouldn't speak to either of his parents.

Nathan let out a deep breath, leading his son to the black Range Rover sitting in the round-a-bout of the school. He saw his mother staring as he walked out, giving Jamie's shoulder a soft squeeze. "Okay, Jamie. She's a little crazy." He chuckled to his son, approaching the door, slowly pulling open his mom's door. "Mom, this is Jamie." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Jamie, this is my mom."

"Hi grandma!" Jamie said loudly, waving up at her. "It's nice to meet you."

Nathan smirked at Jamie referring to his mother as grandma, laughing when his mother shook her head at him.

"Oh, Jamie. It's so nice to meet you." Deb said, kneeling down and holding her arms open towards him.

Jamie rushed forward, hugging her tightly. "Daddy told me that you like basketball. I like basketball too. He has to leave tomorrow morning really early because he's going to go to Sacramento to play the Kings. He told me that he's going to destroy the Kings because they can't play worth shi-"

"James." Nathan said, clearing his throat and shaking his head. "What did I tell you?"

"Oh right! I'm not supposed to say that until I'm older." Jamie giggled, looking at her and smiling.

Deb laughed, nodding her head, biting down on her lip to stop the tears. "Well, I would love to watch you play, Jamie."

"Let's go!" Jamie said, grabbing the door handle of the back seat, tugging on it.

Nathan chuckled, helping him pull it open. "You need to get some height on you, son." He said, lifting Jamie up, tossing his backpack next to the carseat and buckling him in.

"I'm going to get tall." Jamie informed Deb, nodding. "When I'm bigger, I'll be taller than him." He said, gesturing towards Nathan.

Deb laughed, nodding and smiling at him.

Nathan rolled his eyes, walking around and climbing into the driver's seat. "We'll see."

He couldn't help but smile as Jamie jabbered on about his life the whole drive to the Rivercourt, letting out a sigh of relief when his mom never once responded with a crazy response that she would've given years ago.

"Did he show you my Halloween costume, Grandma?" Jamie asked as they were climbing out of the car. "Did you bring it with you?" He asked Nathan, raising his eyebrows.

Nathan sighed softly, looking at his son. He'd specifically told Nathan that he wanted to play basketball dressed as Batman, so of course Nathan brought it with him. How could he ever say no? He just wasn't really expecting his mother to be with him when he put on his sidekick costume.

"Yeah, I brought it." He responded, walking towards the back of the car, pulling it open.

"Did you bring your costume?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't want to wear it." Nathan grumbled, pulling out the black bag with Jamie's costume that Brooke had spent so much time making him.

"You have to! I'm Batman, and you do whatever I say." Jamie reminded him, taking it quickly.

"It's too hot outside to wear it." Nathan attempted, shrugging slightly.

"Nuh-uh." Jamie said, pulling off his jacket. "I'm wearing a coat. Mama made you wear a coat today too because it's chilly."

"Let's see the costume." Deb said, grinning at Nathan, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan sighed, pulling out his own costume, shaking his head at it. It wasn't overly horrible, but he hated wearing a matching costume with anyone, even his five year old son. And the fact that he was a sidekick... No way.

He looked over, shaking his head at his son who had already put everything on except his mask, raising his eyebrows.

He let out a deep breath, "I don't want to wear it, Jamie." He grumbled. It was broad daylight. Anyone could see. He sighed at the look on Jamie's face, beginning to tug the costume on over his clothes, rolling his eyes at the grin on his mom's face.

Jamie cheered, pulling the Batman mask on over his head. "Thanks, Daddy!" He hummed, clapping his hands.

Nathan sighed, fitting his mask into his face, moving to stand next to his son. "This means you have to lift me up so that I can dunk it. You're the superhero." He said, smirking down at his son.

Jamie looked over at Deb, flexing the muscles in his arms. "Don't we look great?" He asked, looking at Nathan. "You can be the person we have to save, Grandma."

"Oh, trust me. This is already saving me." Deb laughed, looking at the two of them. "Let get to the basketball, boys." She said, clapping her hands and moving to sit on the bleachers.

Nathan sighed, grabbing the basketball out of his car, handing it to Jamie. "Let's keep the gloves off, Jamie." He said, grabbing the gloves on Jamie's hands and taking them off, tossing them into the bag.

"Come on, Robin!" Jamie yelled, rushing over to the hoop, shooting the ball into the basket.

Nathan shook off his embarrassment, letting out a deep breath. Oh well. He smiled slightly, rushing after his son, scooping up the basketball. "Let's see if you can make a super free throw."

xxxx

Haley raised her eyebrows when Batman and Robin came running into the house for the second day in a row.

"No, I get to save her." Nathan argued with Jamie, rushing towards Haley.

Jamie cut him off, jumping toward and clinging onto Haley's legs. "I saved her first! I win!" He said, sticking his tongue out at his father, before dropping off her legs.

"Oh, I don't think so. Let me have this one, Batman. Unless you want a kiss." He said, raising his eyebrows at Jamie.

"You can save her!" Jamie said quickly, jumping away from Haley.

Nathan laughed, walking over to Haley and resting one arm on her legs, and the other on her back, lifting her up. "Don't worry, ma'am. I've got you. Sorry my sidekick couldn't do anything to help you."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended that my son doesn't want a kiss from me, or offended by the fact that you called me ma'am." Haley laughed, raising his eyebrows. "My hero." She chuckled, kissing him back as soon as his lips were pressed against hers.

"All in a days work." Nathan said after a moment of kissing her, pressing his lips to hers one last time, before setting her down once again.

"I'm not the sidekick." Jamie said, hurrying over to her, attempting to pick her up the same way Nathan had.

Haley laughed, scooping him up and pressing kisses all over his face. "The real hero is finally here."

Nathan mocked hurt, falling down to his knees. "Always outshone by the big guy. No one ever remembers the sidekick that did all the work."

Jamie laughed loudly, shaking his head once Haley out him down. "Quiet, Robin." He said, pushing on Nathan's arm lightly. "I think I need some Mac and cheese for dinner, Robin."

"You know what, Batman. I think you're right. Get on it... What was it again? Batboy?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan gaped at her, clenching his heart and falling backwards onto the ground. "She called me Batboy, Batman. Remember me when I'm gone." He said, resting his hand on Jamie's arm, before his eyes fell shut, his arm resting back against the ground and he laid still.

Jamie giggled loudly, moving and sitting on Nathan's chest, looking up at Haley. "We had fun with Grandma today. She pretended a basketball was flying at her face and I had to save her, then we went and got ice cream, and then Cotten candy, but then she had to go home. And then we went to go get-"

Nathan clamped his hand over Jamie's mouth, his eyes opening quickly. He shook his head, beginning to fake cough up a storm.

"Oh, I don't know what's wrong with me." Nathan coughed, "So weird, how I just broke into a coughing fit."

Jamie looked at him, before looking at Haley and beginning to cough as well. "Oh yeah! Me too!" He coughed, resting his hand on his chest, before falling on the ground next to Nathan. "The only thing that can save me is... Mac and cheese."

Haley rolled her eyes at her boys, poking her foot into Jamie's side. "I went to work all day while you boys played and you still think I should be the one to make dinner?"

Nathan jumped up to his feet, shaking his head. "Of course not, beautiful. You go get comfortable. Batman and I are on the case." He said, winking at her.

"That's more like it." She laughed, pressing a kiss to Nathan's jaw, touching her finger over the mask across his nose. "Can I see your secret identity? I hope that it's Kevin Love."

Nathan raised his eyebrows, pushing his hand away from her. "How dare you!" He asked in shock. "How dare you say you wish I was a different basketball player. I can't even take it. My heart... I'm wounded."

"Kevin Love is cool!" Jamie said, standing up and poking Nathan's leg. "He's won a championship."

"Okay, wow. Wow. See if I'm making dinner after all you've done is throw around Kevin Love's name. Especially after the game you guys came and watched, this stings a little bit. How the hell do you even know who that is, Haley?" Nathan groaned, poking her side.

"I wanted to know the names of all the players I should glare at if I ever saw them." She joked, kissing his cheek. "I could recognize those eyes anywhere, trust me. You two must be the all time greatest basketball players. Jamie Scott as Batman and his sidekick Nathan Scott as Robin."

"You two owe me for that comment, so you better get cooking." Nathan said, crossing his arms.

"If Robin isn't cooking than neither is Batman." Jamie said, crossing his arms.

"I guess we order pizza then." Haley said simply, ruffling Jamie's hair. "Go get the number out of the take-out drawer, Jamie."

Nathan grabbed Jamie's shoulder, raising his eyebrows. "How does she know about the drawer?" He asked, looking at him.

Jamie looked up at him, shrugging his shoulders and running into the kitchen.

Nathan chuckled quietly, watching him and shaking his head. "What else does your kid say about me when I'm not around?"

"He spills your secrets." Haley laughed in response, wrapping her arms around him, tugging on the black and gold cape he was wearing.

"Yeah, I'm sure he does." He hummed, looking down at her. "This is totally the dorkiest thing I've ever done." He said, shaking his head.

"I know." She laughed, standing on her toes, kissing him lightly. "It's kind of working for me though, so maybe you should keep it on for the rest of the night."

He raised his eyebrows, laughing. "Really? Whatever you want, you get." He chuckled, leaning down and kissing her once again.

She smiled against his lips, scratching her fingernails over his neck lightly. "That's what I like to hear." She said, pulling his mask off his face.

"Hey there, give that back. I can't reveal my secret identity, not even to the woman I'm in love with." He said, reaching over, grabbing her hand and placing it back on his face. He looked over when Jamie called their names, kissing her once more, before flipping his cape out, and rushing into the kitchen.

xxxx

Haley smiled down at the sleeping boy, whose head was rested in her lap, letting out a deep breath. She'd talked Jamie into taking off the mask eventually, thankfully. But he was still determined to keep the costume on, and he'd fallen asleep watching a movie.

Nathan sat back down on the couch next to them, reaching across their son and handing Haley a glass of wine, letting out a deep breath, sipping on his own, before setting it on the table in front of him, taking off Jamie's shoes.

"He has a lot of fun with you, Nathan." Haley said softly, nodding at him. "I have a lot of fun you both of you."

"Yeah, well look at me." Nathan laughed, finally removing the mask from his face, pulling off the green gloves and tossing them to the side. "I would never do this for just anyone."

"It's cute, how much you love him. Too bad he knows it and knows how to use it." She laughed, pushing her hand through Jamie's hair.

"You're telling me." He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I swear, he's your kid. Always taking advantage of me with his cuteness."

"I do not do that!" She protested quietly, shaking her head. "I don't."

"Yes you do, Haley." He chuckled, tickling his finger up Jamie's foot. "I don't mind. I love you two."

"We love you too. A lot." She said softly, looking at him and nodding. "How was it today?"

"You know Jamie, he likes to tell everyone is life story right from the start." He said, shaking his head.

"Did Deb behave okay?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"She was good. Didn't once tell him not to call her grandma. He likes her too. She told him stories about me when I was his age." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I think it was good. For me, and for her, and for him."

"Then that means it was good for me too." Haley responded, reaching over and tickling her fingers over the back of his neck.

"I have a game in Miami in a few weeks, and I was hoping you would go with me." He said softly. "We could make a weekend trip out of it. Leave Friday morning, be back Sunday night. Week before Thanksgiving."

Haley smiled at him, "That sounds fun, Nathan." She said softly, looking down at Jamie. "I would really like that."

"Brooke can watch Jamie, or Peyton, or whoever. And maybe... We'll have to play this by ear, my mom can take him for an afternoon or something." He suggested, nodding at her.

"Depending on how these next few weeks go, I'll let you know." She said, nodding her head. "Whatever will we do with just the two of us there?"

"I can think of a couple things. I think Clay and Quinn will be coming as well." He said, shrugging his shoulders, looking down at Jamie.

She leaned back against the couch, staying quiet for a little while, closing her eyes, laying her head back, letting things fall into a comfortable silence. As soon as their glasses were empty, she looked up at him.

"We have a five year old Batman in our bed last night, but since he's proved to be such a hero today, what do you say we let him sleep in his own bed tonight?" She suggested, reaching over, gripping onto Nathan's shoulder. "You can be the hero for once."

Nathan laughed, grinning at her. "Done. You get the boy, I'll get the dishes. See you in five." He laughed, standing up quickly, throwing his cape backwards once more, picking up the plates and glasses quickly, before rushing into the kitchen.

Haley laughed, cradling Jamie close to her, heading up the stars towards his room.


	27. Chapter 27

**Okay, I really am working on trying to update my stories more regularly. I'm so sorry for the delay!**

 **Chapter 27**

Nathan was acting weird. Since she'd arrived at the airport and he'd come to pick her up, he'd been acting weird. Nervous, jittery. On the cab ride to the hotel, his hand had rested on her leg, and started tapping uncontrollably, until she'd rested her hand on his, then it stopped. But once her hand was gone, it started up again, even if she'd removed it for just a second.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" She finally asked him once they were inside their hotel room, resting her hand on his back, looking around the hotel room.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, dropping her bag down onto the ground, smiling at her. "What?"

"You're acting strange." Haley said slowly, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder blade, smiling slightly.

"I guess I'm just nervous about our first weekend without Jamie." He said, turning around, letting his arms wind around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Really?" She asked, wrapping her arms tightly around him, grinning up at him and kinking one eyebrow.

"That and a combination of nerves for the game tonight." He said, winking at her.

"Here I was thinking that it was all for me. I should've known better." She said, kissing him briefly, before resting her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly to her.

"You don't make me nervous." He assured her, kissing the top of her head. "I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you so much, Nathan." She said, pressing a light kiss to the crook of his neck. "It's getting harder and harder sending you off."

"No kidding." He responded, closing his eyes and resting his head against hers, rubbing his hands up her back. "What do you think?" He asked, gesturing around.

"It's beautiful." She said, pulling away from him and looking around. "Show me around."

He laughed, grabbing onto her hand. "Well, I thought you deserved something nice." He said, kissing her head. "So, here's the kitchen." He said, gesturing towards the kitchen. He began to tug her around the fairly open room, grinning. "There's the couch, and the TV. But wait until you see this." He hummed, backing up towards the double doors, pushing them open. "Check out this bedroom." He said, pulling her into it.

Haley looked around the room, smiling slightly at how excited Nathan seemed to be, giving his hand a light squeeze. "It really is beautiful." She said slowly, stepping up the short steps to where the bed was elevated, sitting down on it. "Nice bed, too." She hummed, winking at him.

"I agree." He said, smirking at her, kissing her forehead. "You haven't even seen the tub yet." He said, grabbing onto her hand once again.

"Oh, I plan on putting it to good use after your game tonight. I'm not letting you off with that 'I'm so exhausted' stuff again." She said, pulling herself up to her feet.

"I'll make sure to only put forth half my effort in the game." He joked, resting his forehead on hers, a small smile on his face.

"You promise that you're okay?" She asked him quietly, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Right now, I don't think I could be any better." He said, kissing her softly, before tipping his head back. "Want to know the best part?"

"Mm... What?" She asked him softly, sliding her arms around his waist.

"There are doors that lead into the bedroom, so you can shut them and you won't have to hear Clay and me talking and playing video games in the morning." He informed her, smirking slightly.

"What a lucky woman I am." She laughed, standing on her toes and kissing him softly. "You sure you're alright, Nathan?"

Nathan kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and smiling slightly. "Now that you mention it, I could use a little pick me up before the game. You'd have to do all the work though, Coach wouldn't like it if I was tired."

Haley laughed, kissing him again and shaking her head. "You know, I think I'm going to take you up on that." She said, sliding her fingers up his chest delicately.

"Really?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She smiled at him, resting her head against his shoulder. "No." She teased him, holding him tightly against her, kissing the side of his neck lightly. "What time do you have to be at the stadium?"

"Four." He said, lifting her up off the ground, smirking slightly when her legs wrapped around his waist. "That gives us three and a half hours to kill, sweetheart."

"I missed you." She said, tangling her fingers in his hair, her other hand gripping his shoulder tightly. "Like, a lot."

He smirked slightly, nodding at her. "I missed you too, Haley." He said, kissing her forehead. "You brought a jersey or something to wear right?"

"Before or after the game?" She teased him, scratching her fingernails over his neck.

"Both." He answered quickly, winking at her. "You need to stop being so sexy, otherwise we won't be able to leave the room, and I'll miss the game."

"I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises." She whispered, kissing him briefly.

He laughed, stepping up to the bed, falling down into it with her. "As long as you're trying." He said, shaking his head. "Tell me something, Haley James." He said, shifting his weight onto one arm, his other hand moving to fiddle with the collar of her shirt. "Have you ever had your mind blown?"

"Once or twice." She teased him, smiling up at him, letting out a deep breath.

"Let me rephrase that, have you ever had your mind blown by an NBA player in Florida while laying on the most comfortable bed in the whole world?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"My answer still stands." She joked, biting her lip, resting her hands on his sides, fiddling with his t-shirt.

"Mood is gone." He said, falling down onto the bed next to her. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." She said, cuddling up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You know what I am hungry for?"

"Don't say it." He said, shaking his head.

"For you to tell me how much you love me." She said, trailing her fingers over his stomach.

He lifted her head up, scooting towards the top of the bed, leaning against the stacked pillows, patting his shoulder once again.

Haley smiled at him, moving up to him, resting her head in its previous spot. "I haven't heard the words leave your mouth since I got here

"I love you." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Tell me I'm a good mom." She said, smiling slightly.

"You're a great mom." He said, frowning slightly. "Why? What happened?"

"I got into a little argument with Jamie this morning, and I just feel bad for leaving him." She said, shaking her head.

"He's tough, Hales. He can handle a weekend without one of us." He reminded her, tracing his fingertips over her shoulder. "What were you fighting about?"

"He was just mad that I was coming here and he didn't get to come with me." Haley said, kissing his shoulder lightly. "I told him that if he wanted us to stay together, we had to spend some time just the two of us, and he didn't accept that. I got a half-hug on his way out the car. No kiss, no clinging, just a half hug."

Nathan frowned slightly, shrugging. "You could've brought him with you." He said, shrugging.

"What, and miss out on all this body has to offer? Not this weekend." She said, laughing and kissing him softly. "No, Nathan. I think it's important that we communicate with each other, and spend time together. It's important that we're more than Jamie's parents."

Nathan's smile faltered a little at her words, which did not go unnoticed by her, but he quickly recovered.

"Well, Hales, I think you're the best mom in the whole world." He assured her, kissing her head. "The boy is lucky to have you, and so am I."

Haley decided to ignore the nagging feeling inside of her that something was wrong. He said he was fine, so she was choosing to believe him.

"I'm lucky to have you both." She said, letting out a deep breath, tugging Nathan's shirt up a bit, brushing her fingers over his stomach muscles, closing her eyes. "Are you excited for tonight?"

"I'm always excited before a game." He said, smiling slightly. "I love basketball."

Haley grinned at him, lifting up her head an kissing him softly. "I love you." She whispered, nudging her nose against his.

He closed his eyes, hugging her tightly to him. "It's getting so hard being without you, Haley James." He whispered, letting out a small sigh. "I have a feeling it's only going to get more difficult too. I used to miss Jamie like crazy, and now I miss both of you, and it's the worst."

She smiled at him, kissing him lightly. "Well... What do you think about me putting my house up for sale and moving in with you, huh?" She said softly, trailing her fingers up his arm. "I think Jamie would much rather live in your house than in mine."

"You want to?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "I don't know if you could handle being with me full time when the season is over."

"I have a few months to prepare for it." She said, letting out a deep breath. "We spend all our time with each other when you're home anyways."

"I would love to have you move in with me, Haley James. More than anything." He said, smirking slightly. "Are you sure?"

Haley kissed him lightly, nodding at him. "Yes, I'm sure. Not sure how much Jamie will like it, since you're the fun parent and you let him eat ice cream for breakfast on the rare occasion that I don't stay at your house." She said, shrugging.

"I think that he would love it." He assured her, nodding quickly. "Thankfully my house is big and I can turn one of the spare bedrooms into the place where I'll put my thousands of shoes." He chuckled, nodding at her.

"How kind." She laughed, gripping his shirt lightly.

He stood up after a second, smirking. "I forgot something. I have a surprise for you." He said, looking down at her. "I already showed Jamie, actually quite awhile ago. But..." He walked over to his gym back, opening it up quickly, pulling out a shoe box. He walked over to the bed, setting it down, opening it up, lifting out the new shoe design that he showed his son awhile ago.

"New shoes?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows, smiling slightly.

"Try and act a little more enthusiastic." He laughed, smirking at her. "I showed them to Jamie, but I didn't tell them what they were called. I'm wearing them tonight to the game."

"Well, what are they called?" She asked him, nodding slowly.

"NS 23, H and J." He said, looking down at them and grinning, tracing his finger over the Nike swoosh. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"What?" Haley asked him, raising her eyebrows again, looking at him quickly, sitting up.

"For Haley and Jamie." He explained, smiling down at them. "That way, when you guys aren't there, you can still be with me." He said, nodding at her.

"Are you serious?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath. "Like... You named a shoe after us?"

"Yeah." He said, holding them out to her. He looked at her, shrugging slightly. "Is that okay?"

Haley took the shoe from him, glancing up at him. "You are my everything, Nathan Scott." She whispered, dropping the shoe onto the bed, jumping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "I just... I'm so happy, and I've been happy over the years, but I don't know if I've ever been as happy as I am right now. You make me happy. You're so kind and caring. I just... Dammit, I love you so much." She said, kissing him deeply. "I can't believe you would do something like this."

"You're my family." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I would do anything for you, Haley. Honestly, this is for me though. I'll never lose another game if I feel you and Jamie there with me."

"Oh yeah? What about-"

"We aren't talking about Cleveland anymore. Stop bringing it up." He grumbled, kissing her briefly.

She laughed, looking down at the shoes on the bed. "You named a shoe after me. After our family." She said softly, trailing her fingers down bicep.

"I did." He said, nodding at her.

She smiled, kissing him again, pulling him close to her. "Well..." She trailed off, falling backwards and pulling him on top of her. "I guess I wouldn't mind doing all the work." She teased, before flipping them over. "As long as you keep it up. Romantic gestures." She said, winking at him, pulling her shirt over her head.

Nathan sucked in a sharp breath, nodding. "Just wait, baby. We've got a whole weekend ahead of us, and I plan on spoiling you every minute of it."

Haley laughed, leaning down and kissing him lightly.

"Well, damn. I might need to start following you around from city to city."

xxxx

Nathan rushed out of the locker room, pushing right past Clay and Quinn, hurrying to Haley, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a long, deep kiss.

Haley blinked in surprise, wrapping her arms around him tightly, returning the kiss quickly, before pulling back after a few seconds, looking up at him.

"You did amazing tonight, Nathan." She said, grinning up at him.

"I feel amazing." He said quickly, pulling her against him, hugging her tightly.

Haley blinked in surprise when she felt Nathan's hands slide into the back pocket of her jeans, her cheeks turning slightly red.

She'd forgotten how handsy he got after a big win. In high school, he'd get in these moods where he'd pick her up and spin her around, or kiss her on the head just randomly. In college, since they were together, he would feel her up whenever he had the chance, and he didn't really care who was watching, and while she was pregnant, she didn't really are who was watching either. Then he'd go home and they'd burn off as many calories as he probably did during the game. Even when they weren't together anymore, if he decided to make the trip home directly after a game in Charlotte, he'd show up at her house and offer her a big hug, before taking a sleeping Jamie back to his home. Now he was back on the feeling her up stage.

"Good job, Nathan." Quinn said from behind him, chuckling quietly.

Nathan turned around, wrapping his arm around Haley, smiling brightly at her. "Thanks, Quinn." He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm so glad you make my job so easy." Clay said, smirking at him. "Come give papa bear a big hug." He said, holding out his arms.

Nathan groaned, rolling his eyes. "Stop it." He complained, walking over and hugging his agent quickly, before hurrying back to Haley's side, pulling her close to him and kissing her head, letting his hand roam up and down her back.

"I feel so alive right now." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Away game blowouts are the best. Absolutely amazing." He gushed, looking down at her and kissing her deeply.

"Hey, lover boy." Clay said, grabbing Nathan's shirt, tugging him away. "Stop playing grab ass, we gotta go."

"Right." Nathan sighed, looking down at Haley. "Sorry, baby. Duty calls."

"You're not even wearing the cape, but you still have to play hero." Haley laughed, kissing him once more.

"Hey now, I'm a sidekick." Nathan said, winking at her. "I'll meet you back at the hotel. I love you."

"Love you too." Haley said, letting her eyes gaze him over.

Nathan grabbed her hand, pulling her back against him, kissing her deeply, gripping her waist.

She smiled, hooking her arms around his neck, returning his kiss, before pulling back, laughing when he tugged her back towards him once again.

"Okay you two, that's enough. I'm sure I can find a girl to keep your hand occupied while you're apart." Clay joked, winking at Haley.

"Really?" Nathan asked, looking at him and raising his eyebrows. "Alright, well we better get going."

"Watch it." Haley scolded, linking her arm through Quinn's. "Alright, Nathan. I'll see you at the hotel."

"Yeah." He said, nodding. "Quinn, you better be out of there by the time I get back." He said, smirking slightly, before allowing Clay to lead him away, glancing over his shoulder at Haley.

xxxx

"Is something going on that I'm not aware of?" Haley asked Quinn, tapping her fingers on the table, flipping her card over. "Ha! Seven beats six." She said, collecting the two cards, setting them aside.

"Doesn't matter if you get a lousy six, I'm still winning." Quinn said, shaking her head.

"I feel like I'm eight again and you're bullying me while playing War." Haley grumbled, looking up at her sister.

"To answer your previous question, I have no clue what you're talking about." Quinn laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Care to elaborate?"

"I just feel like Nathan's acting a little weird." Haley said, laying down her card, letting out a small sigh as Quinn collected it. "I mean... It's been an hour and I haven't heard from him."

"Sometimes him and Clay go out to drinks." Quinn said, shrugging. "I usually just get in bed and watch a movie while I wait for Clay to get back. I'm assuming that's not the case tonight."

"You don't think he's acting weird?" Haley asked, sighing softly, glancing at the time.

"Not really." Quinn said, shrugging. "They always act weird around each other. They're dorks." She laughed, shaking her head. "Them sneaking off for hours isn't that unusual."

"But he's acting weird." Haley said, sighing softly, pushing her losing card in Quinn's direction.

"Clay's acting the same." Quinn said, shrugging. "I don't know what to tell you, Hales. What is he doing?"

"He's acting jittery. Knees bouncing every time he's sitting, acting a little zoned out every once and awhile." Haley responded, sighing. "I don't know. Never mind."

"Well, maybe there is something wrong." Quinn said, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe he's going to propose, who knows with Nathan."

Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes. "I know with Nathan." She said, letting out a deep breath. "He's not proposing. I know him." She said, flipping her next card over, cheering when she won.

Quinn chuckled, shaking her head. "You really want to win, don't you?" She asked, looking at her.

"Really badly." Haley responded, glancing at her phone when it buzzed. "Oh, Nathan's on his way back. You win, I don't care anymore." She said, standing up. "You have to go."

Quinn kinked her eyebrow, looking up at her. "Damn, Haley. While the son is away, the parents will play." She joked.

Haley stuck her tongue out at her sister, "Sorry, I can't just follow my boyfriend where ever he goes and find work, Miss Photographer." She said, pulling Quinn up to her feet.

"Hey there, you watch it." Quinn laughed, allowing Haley to push her out into the hall. "Have fun, use protection, Jamie is cute but you really don't need another kid right now."

Haley shook her head, rolling her eyes and closing the door in Quinn's face, quickly clearing the cards off the table, heading into the bedroom to prepare herself for when Nathan returned to the room.

xxxx

Haley felt around the bed in the morning, lifting up her head when her hand hit sheets, and not Nathan. She glanced over at the clock, raising her eyebrows at the fact that he was awake at nine o'clock, especially after the night they had. A smile formed on her face as she thought back to it, letting out a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling for a minute, listening as she could make out voices from outside the bedroom, followed by the occasional cheer from either Clay or Nathan. He wasn't kidding when he informed her they play video games in the mornings.

She laid in the comfortable bed for awhile, rolling onto her side and facing the spot where Nathan had been sleeping, letting out a small sigh. It was odd that whenever they weren't in Tree Hill, he always woke up before her. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he had not found a way to wake her up, or stayed with her until she did wake up, but he had warned her.

She chuckled quietly, standing up slowly, quickly finding some clothes for herself, heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower before she walked into the madness that was a morning with Nathan Scott and Clay Evans.

Haley stepped out of the bedroom a few minutes later, shaking her head at the sight of them, their eyes glued to the TV, both of them working away at their controllers.

She smiled, walking over, pressing a light kiss to Nathan's cheek, careful not to block his view of the TV, taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah, well you suck, you little shit head." Clay said into the microphone around his head, rolling his eyes. "I honestly destroyed you. There's no excuses."

Nathan chuckled quietly, glancing over at Haley momentarily, nudging Clay slightly, shaking his head.

He quickly removed the headset off his own head, then grabbed Clay's off his head, tossing them to the side.

"Hey!" Clay said, scowling and glaring over at him.

"You don't need to argue with fourteen year olds when Haley is in the room." Nathan said, shifting slightly.

"I'm not embarrassed. I beat that punk's ass." Clay grumbled, keeping his focus back on the TV.

Nathan looked over at Haley once again, smiling slightly. "Good morning, baby." He said, leaning towards her when she pressed another kiss to his cheek.

"Don't let me distract you from your..." She cleared her throat, glancing at the TV. "Game." She said, smiling slightly.

"Hey, I warned you." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "I was thinking we could go to the beach today." He suggested, keeping his eyes on the game.

"Sounds fun." Clay grumbled, glancing over at his headset sitting to the side.

"Not you, Clay." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head and nudging his elbow into his friend.

"Oh. Right." Clay chuckled, sighing softly. "I know he's talking shit about me, Nathan. DragonOctagon87 is going down." He grumbled.

Haley laughed at his words, "The beach sounds great." She said, brushing her fingers over Nathan's back. "Where's Quinn?"

"She's still asleep. She doesn't wake up until I get back from this." Clay grumbled, leaning back.

"Clay, look right there." Nathan pointed at the screen. "Right there. It looks like he's alone. I think he's the last guy left."

"That little shit better have covered his ass if he doesn't want to get destroyed." Clay said, nodding at Nathan. "Let's get him."

Nathan kept his eyes trained on the screen, "Dude, I think he's alone." He said, jumping up to his feet, Clay following his act soon after. "Yes."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Clay cheered, dropping his controller when 'the blue team' won the game, grinning brightly. "Take that! Kid isn't even old enough to be playing this game."

Haley smirked up at Nathan after he bumped his chest against Clay's, raising her eyebrows. "Good job, boys."

"Get the grin off your face, Hales." Clay laughed, "This is what we do on road trips, and you're going to have to deal with it."

"I have no objections." Haley said, standing up, shaking her head. "It's kind of funny."

"Quinn sleeps through it most of the time, she trained herself to do it." Clay chuckled, glancing at his watch. "I better get going, you two have fun. Maybe we can do dinner tonight?" He suggested.

"Sounds good." Nathan hummed, watching Clay walk out of the room, looking at Haley. "Go on, say it. That was dorky."

"A little." She admitted, wrapping her arms around him, smiling slightly, standing on her toes, kissing him lightly. "Not as dorky as DragonOctagon87."

He shook his head, kissing her again. "I can't play these games with Jamie just yet, so I have to get it all out when I'm away from home." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "This is the man you've chosen to be with."

"I know." She said, hugging him close to her. "Any chance you can push it back so I can at least wake up next to you next time?" She said, raising her eyebrows up at him.

"I've been awake for two hours already." He laughed, "Get on board, Haley James. I'll start waking you up when Clay texts me he's coming over."

"That means you only got like three hours of sleep." She said, shaking her head. "You're crazy."

"Let's call Jamie." He said, grabbing onto her hand, sitting down on the couch and pulling her into his lap.

Haley smoothed out his hair, pressing a kiss to his head, before resting her head against his, nodding. "Yeah." She said, letting out a deep breath.

He picked his phone up, searching through his contacts until he found Brooke's name, tapping on the FaceTime button.

It wasn't long before Jamie's grinning face appeared on the screen, still wearing his Hornets jersey from the night before.

"Hi!" Jamie cheered, looking over his shoulder at Lucas in the background. "Uncle Lucas! Look."

Lucas glanced over his shoulder, setting some pancakes on Jamie's plate. "Hey there." He said, waving at Nathan and Haley.

"Hi Jimmy Jam, hi Lucas." Nathan said, waving at them. "How're things going over there?"

"Um, totally awesome!" Jamie said loudly, holding the camera close to his face. "You did so awesome last night! You dunked, and dunked, and shot your free throws, and you made three points. You were amazing."

"Thanks, Jame." Nathan said, grinning slightly. "Did you see what I called my new shoes?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to tell everyone at school that I have a show named after me. Isn't it cool, Mama?" Jamie asked her quickly, waving at her.

Haley smiled at her excited son, nodding her head. "It's so cool, baby." She said to him, rubbing her hand over Nathan's shoulder.

"What are you guys doing today?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows, forcing his head up next to Jamie's so he was visible in the camera.

"Probably going to go to the beach for awhile." Haley hummed, resting her head against Nathan's again.

"And look for something to bring Jamie." Nathan added, winking into the camera. "What do you want, Jame?"

"Ice cream." Jamie said, flashing them a cheesy smile. "Aunt Brooke was letting me play games on her phone. She went back to bed because she's not feeling well. But we're going to a movie. Right Uncle Lucas?"

"Right." Lucas said, ruffling Jamie's hair. "And we have Ravens practice in an hour, and you get to come with me."

Jamie nodded quickly, "Yay!" He cheered, letting out a deep breath. "When are you coming home?"

"Tomorrow." Haley answered, frowning slightly at his question. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Jamie responded, rubbing his nose on the phone camera, giggling quietly.

"We'll call you in a little bit, Jamie. We love you, buddy." Nathan said, offering him a small smile, hugging Haley closer to him.

"Love you too! Don't call us during the movie." Jamie responded, before he hung up the phone.

Haley let out a quiet sigh, shifting slightly in Nathan's lap, kissing his ear lightly. "I miss him." She complained, shaking her head.

"Me too." Nathan chuckled, brushing his fingertips over her stomach lightly. "You look hot."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You could've joined me in the shower but you were occupied, so now have fun in the shower by yourself." She said, climbing off his lap, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"I already took a shower." He said, shrugging. "Jokes on you."

"I really am not as light of a sleeper as I thought I was." She stated, shaking her head and leaning against him.

"Let's go get some breakfast. They have a buffet downstairs." He said, standing up, holding his hand out to her. "And then we can go to the beach."

She nodded her head, grabbing his hand, standing up. "Sounds perfect to me."

xxxx

Haley looked over at the pinkish sleeping man next to her, shaking her head and smiling slightly. He'd made sure that she was covered in sunscreen, but wouldn't let her put any on him.

She carefully trailed her fingers over his heated skin, sitting up slowly, tugging the sheets up so that she was covered by them, glancing down at him.

He probably only got burned so that she could rub the cooling cream on him once they were back at the hotel room, as if he needed and excuse to get her to throw herself at him. He was hot before, but now he was literally hot.

She laughed, noting to tell him that out loud once he woke up, which she doubted would be very soon, since he had not gotten much sleep last night, the sun had drained a lot of energy from him, and she had drained the remaining energy from him once they'd returned to the room.

Haley smirked slightly, leaning down and kissing his head lightly, touching his pink ears lightly, shaking her head.

She reached over, picking up her phone off the night stand, opening it slowly. After awhile of looking through it, she stumbled upon something that she was almost positive wasn't supposed to be there. It was a headline that read:

'Nathan Scott reportedly discussing trade with Miami Heat: Met with them last night to figure out the details'

She raised her eyebrows at that, glancing down at the dark haired man next to her. He wouldn't have kept this from her... Would he?

She opened the article, frowning slightly and beginning to read.

'Scott, 25, supposedly met with Miami Heat last night to discuss a possible trade. The trade would include a salary increase, and Scott would take the starting spot. After the big blow out the Hornets inflicted on the Heat last night, there is some controversy on the subject. Some sources are thrilled, some not so thrilled. Apparently this has been in discussion following the game Nathan Scott played against the Mavericks, another blow out just shortly before the Hornets winning streak fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.'

Haley looked down at him again, shaking her head. She couldn't believe this. That game had been weeks ago. He'd had plenty of time to come clean about it, yet he hadn't.

She shook her head again, getting out of the bed quickly, pulling her clothes on and rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe that he didn't tell her.

She walked out of the room, sitting on the couch, rereading the article carefully, scowling slightly.

Nathan came out a short while later, basketball shorts low on his hips, touching this fingers to his shoulder, wincing slightly. "Where did you go?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, just felt a little restless sitting in bed." She said, pinning a fake smile to her face.

"Do you think you could rub more of that stuff on me?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and smiling slightly.

"Oh, sure." Haley responded, letting out a deep breath. "Why don't we go back in the bedroom?" She said, standing up, guiding him back in there, watching him lay down on his stomach.

She moved so she was straddling his legs, putting some of the cream in her hands, before beginning to rub it onto his back. "Hey, Nathan?"

"Yeah, baby?" He responded, groaning quietly, letting out a deep breath.

"Why do you think you guys beat the Heat badly last night?" She asked him, scowling down at him.

"Because you were there to cheer me on." He responded, letting out a deep breath.

"Hm..." She trailed off, rubbing the back of his arms, her touch not as delicate as it had been previously. "Do you think it's because they're in need of great point guard?"

Nathan stiffened slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "Could be." He said, yawning.

"If only they had someone, maybe they'd be better." She said, tapping her fingers on his back.

"What, are you a Heat fan all the sudden?" He asked her, chucking quietly.

"Well, if you play there then I may need to be." She slid in casually.

"What?" He asked her after a second, looking over his shoulder. "Haley, stop." He said, grabbing her hand, waiting for her to get off of him, before sitting up.

"Oh, I just read an article about you online." She said, standing up and shaking her head.

"Oh." He responded, rubbing his neck and sighing softly, standing up as well. "Haley..."

"That's why you've been acting weird!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "I really can't believe this."

"Haley, let me explain." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath, rubbing his neck when she looked at him like she was expecting an answer, his mind drawing a blank. "Well..."

"When did you find out?" Haley asked him, crossing her arms.

"After the game you and Jamie went to." He responded, sighing softly. "But I decided not to entertain it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath.

"Because I wasn't going to tell you unless I was actually thinking about it." He said, shrugging slightly.

"And what, you're meeting with the team because you're not thinking about it?" She asked him, rolling her eyes.

"I wasn't thinking about it... But Clay told me it was a good opportunity to see if the Hornets would counter." Nathan said, shrugging. "And now I'm... Considering it a little bit?"

"This is why you invited me here, isn't it?" She asked him, letting out a deep breath. "Dammit, Nathan."

"No, no! Not at all, Haley. I invited you because I want to spend time with you, but I thought it would be more fun to spend it here than in freezing cold Utah." He said, shaking his head.

"I don't even want to move to Charlotte, Nathan, let alone Miami." Haley argued, narrowing her eyes at him. "I wish you would have told me."

"Your answer would still be no." Nathan said, letting out a slightly annoyed sigh.

"Maybe I would be more flexible if I didn't have it just dropped on me out of the blue, Nathan." She argued with him, poking his chest, watching it the from bright pink, to a white, then back to pink.

Nathan let out deep breath. "You don't want to leave Tree Hill. I know you don't, so it doesn't matter really." He said simply, shaking his head.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I wish you wouldn't have kept this from me, Nathan." She said, picking up her bag off the floor, walking into the bathroom, returning with all of her things she'd left in there, shoving them into the bag. "This isn't healthy, you not telling me things like this. I don't care whether you were considering it or not, you still should've told me."

"Where are you going?" He asked her, pulling his shirt over his head and frowning.

"I'm going to go home, Nathan. I'll see you whenever you make it back." Haley said simply, making sure all of her things were packed up, before heading out of the bedroom, Nathan hot on her tracks.

"Wait a minute, you're leaving?" He asked her, frowning slightly. "Baby..."

"Don't 'baby...' me, I don't want it right now. You should have told me, Nathan. I would've told you something like this." She said simply, pulling open the door to her hotel room. "Let me know when your plane takes off and lands tomorrow." Haley said, stepping out of the room, shaking her head.

Nathan groaned, pushing his fingers through his hair. He should've told her, and he knew it.


	28. Chapter 28

**This is really more of a filler.**

 **Chapter 28**

Nathan raised his fist to knock on Haley's front door, letting out a small sigh. He shook his head, grabbing onto the door handle and pushing it open slowly, poking his head into the house. He found Haley standing in the kitchen, leaning against the countertop, staring down at her phone.

"Hey." He said to her, watching her glance up at him quickly.

"Jamie, Dad is here!" She yelled through the house, standing up straight and crossing her arms. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah." He responded, rubbing the back of his neck, shifting slightly. "Haley..."

He was cut off my Jamie barreling into his legs, hugging him tightly.

"You're home!" The five year old said, smiling brightly.

Nathan grinned down at his son, picking him up, hugging him close. "Hey buddy." He said, looking at him. "Have you been good for Mom while I've been gone? And Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas?"

Jamie nodded his head, "I'm always good." He reminded his father, tapping his nose. "Why are you pink?"

"Mom forgot to put sunscreen on me." Nathan responded, smirking in Haley's direction.

Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head when Jamie looked over at her. "I tried to tell him, Jame. Let this be a lesson, listen to me when I tell you to put sunscreen on, or you'll end up like him."

Jamie flashed her a smile. "I always do, Mama." He reminded her, holding out a thumbs up.

"Good boy." She said, winking at him, tapping her fingers on the countertop.

"Are you ready to go?" Jamie asked, looking at his dad, nodding eagerly.

"Go where?" Nathan chuckled, ruffling his sons hair.

"Play! But not here, let's go to your house or to the park, or the Rivercourt." Jamie said, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, I'm ready. You have all your stuff? Backpack ready for school tomorrow?" Nathan asked, setting Jamie down.

Jamie looked over at Haley, who nodded in response.

"Yep!" He hummed, glancing up at Nathan, before looking back at Haley. "Are you coming with us?"

"Not right now, baby. I have some things I need to get done." She informed him, walking around the counter and smoothing out Jamie's hair. "You have fun with Daddy, okay?"

Jamie nodded his head, hugging her tightly, before pulling away. "I'll go get my backpack." He said, rushing up the stairs.

Nathan frowned at Haley as she went back to her spot behind the countertop, looking at her phone again. He felt like she was acting as if he wasn't even in the room.

"Hales." He said, frowning at her. "We need to talk. Come with us."

"Now you want to talk?" Haley asked him, shaking her head and laughing sarcastically.

"I wanted to talk, you're the one that left." He pointed out pathetically, shrugging.

She looked up at him, biting her lip. She had plenty to say to him, but she was biting her tongue because Jamie could come down at any second.

"I have things to do today, Nathan. Maybe I'll come by your house later tonight." She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Maybe?" He frowned, letting out a deep sigh. "You're not going to spend the night?"

"You can get him to school tomorrow on your own, can't you?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, but..."

"I think I'm going to stay here." She stopped him before he could start again. "It's been awhile since I've had a night to myself. You're leaving for a couple days tomorrow, so just spend time with him. I'll see you on Thanksgiving."

He felt a little desperate. She was closing him out so quickly, it worried him a little bit. He didn't even know why he kept it from her, probably because she would be so opposed to the idea.

"My flight leaves at ten, don't you want to see me before then?" He asked her, frowning, letting out a deep sigh.

Her gaze softened on him a little bit, nodding her head. "I'm really mad at you, Nathan. I just can't believe you wouldn't tell me something like this." She said quietly, shrugging.

"Haley..." He trailed off, stepping up to the opposite side of the counter.

"I don't want to fight right now, Nathan. I just don't feel like I have the energy, and Jamie is upstairs." She said, shaking her head.

"We aren't fighting." He said quickly, frowning at her.

Haley let out a deep breath, "I'm upset with you, Nathan. I'm staying here." She said simply.

"Then we'll stay here too." He said, reaching across the counter and grabbing onto her hand.

She shook her head, giving his hand a light squeeze. "We can talk when you come home for Thanksgiving?"

"Haley, I'll be home late Wednesday night. That's a long time to go mad." He said, frowning at her.

"All I know is that I'm mad at you, Nathan. I can't do this again if we aren't open with each other, okay? I love you. I love you so much, I do. But we'll talk about it when you get home." She said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're going to let me just live with the fact that you're mad at me for three more days?" He asked her, frowning at her.

"No, Nathan. I'm going to let you live with the fact that you betrayed my trust and didn't tell me something potentially life changing for us. See a difference?" She snapped slightly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Nathan shifted slightly under her intense gaze, looking away from her and clearing his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Maybe." He responded quietly, letting out a deep breath. "I never said you had to come with me, if I traded to Miami." He said quietly, before squeezing his eyes shut.

Yeah, that definitely wasn't the right thing to say.

Haley blinked at him, raising her eyebrows. "You're unbelievable, Nathan." She said, shaking her head. "I can't... Wow. Okay. I'm going to go upstairs and get some work done, you have fun with Jamie today." She said simply, brushing past him quickly, heading up the stairs.

He let out a loud sigh, pushing his hand through his hair, looking around the empty kitchen. It wasn't long before Jamie came down the stairs, carrying about ten stuffed animals with him.

He raised his eyebrows, frown turning into a smile as he saw his son. "What's all this, buddy? We have some of those at my house." He chuckled, relieving his son of some of the toys.

"I know but I need more." Jamie informed him, smiling up at him.

"Did you say goodbye to your mom?" Nathan asked him, taking his backpack as well.

"Yeah." Jamie responded, rushing towards the front door. "Let's go, we're wasting precious daylight!"

"You've been spending too much time with Aunt Brooke." Nathan chuckled, pulling the door open. He glanced over his shoulder, looking down at Jamie.

"Bye Hales." He called out, letting out a small sigh at the silence that responded to him.

He shook his head, stepping out of the house, heading towards his car with Jamie, throwing his son's stuff in the back. He picked up Jamie, buckling him into his car seat.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked him, leaning back and looking up at him.

Nathan chuckled, resting his elbow against one of Jamie's arm rests, looking down at him. "How could I not be okay when I get to hang out with you?" He responded, ruffling his hair, before getting into the car.

He glanced back towards Haley's house longingly, letting out a deep breath. His gaze shifted to the rear view mirror, making eye contact with Jamie.

He wasn't going to let this ruin his day with Jamie.

No matter how much he wanted to be holding his girl in his arms, going to the park with their son together.

Okay, maybe it was going to put a little bit of a damper on his mood, but it was his own doing.

He sent Jamie a smile, deciding to do his best to keep his focus on the five year old in his back seat.

Casting one last glance towards the house, he buckled his seatbelt, shifted the car into drive, and pulled out of the driveway.

xxxx

"How long do you think you'll be pink?" Jamie asked him curiously, taking a big bite out of his ice cream cone.

Nathan chuckled, picking up a napkin and wiping off Jamie's face carefully. "Probably not too long. The guys are going to make fun of me about it though, I'm sure. They'll be calling me Rudolph Scott or something like that until I'm back to normal."

"I think it's funny." Jamie responded, looking around. "I wish Mama came with us."

"Yeah." Nathan responded, before quickly changing the subject. "So, how was Ravens practice yesterday?"

"Uncle Lucas made me run with them, and I was faster." Jamie said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I got to stop when I was tired, and they didn't."

"When I was in high school, Lucas ran so slow, because of his heart problems. But no one knew about it, so Coach Whitey would make us run, and run, and run. I was so mad at Luke." Nathan chuckled, resting his elbows on the picnic table, looking down at Jamie. He reached over, tugging the zipper of his son's jacket further up.

"He was yelling at them, it was kind of funny." Jamie laughed, shaking his head. "I like basketball practice a lot."

"I think you're the only person that's ever said that." Nathan chuckled, nudging Jamie with his elbow. "Did you have fun with Grandma Deb?"

"Nanny Deb." Jamie said, nodding his head. "That's what she wants me to call her. She says she's too young to be a grandma."

"Of course she said that." Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "Did you have fun with Nanny Deb?" He corrected himself.

"I did. We went to your house for a little while, and she made me pancakes for lunch."

"You lucky little guy." Nathan responded, wiping off Jamie's face once again after he finished his ice cream cone. "I love you, Jame."

"I love you too, Daddy." Jamie said, standing up. "Let's go play on the swings."

"Good idea." Nathan chuckled, scooping Jamie up, throwing him over his shoulder, heading over to the swings. He set his giggling son down on the swing, moving to stand behind him, beginning to push him lightly.

"You don't need to push me anymore, I learned how to do it. Uncle Lucas taught me three weeks ago." Jamie informed him, beginning to kick his legs.

Nathan felt something inside of him crumble, looking down at his son as he was, indeed, doing it by himself. He frowned at his words, moving to take a seat in the swing next to Jamie. He couldn't believe Jamie had learned to swing without him. His gaze quickly shifted away from his son, feeling his head start to spin a little bit. What else could he do? Ride a bike without training wheels? Drive? Shave? What had Lucas taught him to do?

"Is Mommy okay?" Jamie asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, she's fine." Nathan responded quickly, letting out a deep breath, his eyes shifting to the ground.

"Why did she come home early?" Jamie questioned him, kicking his legs.

"You ask a lot of questions." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "She came home because she had some things to do."

"Okay." Jamie responded, looking over at him. "Uncle Lucas said that you guys are going to make the play off this year."

"Uncle Lucas, huh?" Nathan grumbled. He couldn't help but feel jealous of his older brother all the sudden. Jealous that his brother was teaching Jamie to do the things that he wanted to teach him. "Uncle Lucas doesn't know anything. It's only November."

Was he really arguing against his brother about his team being successful?

"Uncle Lucas-"

"Jamie." Nathan stopped him, clearing his throat. "Do you want to go to the store?"

"For what?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know, let's just go buy you some stuff." Nathan said quickly, standing up.

Jamie slowed his swing, hopping off of it and nodding his head. "Okay." He said, grabbing onto Nathan's hand, beginning to follow him back to the car.

xxxx

"Okay, Jamie. In and out. You drop off the things you want to leave at Mom's house, give her the present you got her, and then run back out to my car." Nathan said, clearing his throat, unbuckling Jamie, helping him out and opening up the back of his car.

"Will you help me?" Jamie asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"I, uh, think you can handle it. Pick the stuff you want to stay here." Nathan responded, glancing up at the house.

Jamie began to point out various bags full of toys, clothes, really anything that Jamie wanted, Nathan bought for him.

When Nathan glanced down, he saw Jamie struggling to carry some of the bags as he headed into the house.

He let out a small sigh, closing the back once again, walking to Jamie, taking the majority of the bags, pushing open the front door to the house. He glanced around, not seeing Haley around, letting out a breath of relief. He knew she would disapprove of how many things he just bought their son.

"Here's the plan, we run upstairs and put these things in your closet, okay?" He suggested, nodding towards the stairs.

Jamie nodded, beginning to hurry up the stairs, Nathan following behind him.

They were almost in Jamie's room, when Haley's voice sounded from behind them.

"What are you two doing?" She asked them.

Nathan could hear the scowl in her voice, stopping in his tracks and wincing slightly.

Jamie looked up at him, pulling a 'we're in so much trouble' face. He glanced into his room, nodding his head.

Nathan sighed, tipping his head into the room, loading Jamie up with bags again, watching him disappear into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, sweetheart." He said, a smile forming in his face, turning around and looking at her.

"What are you doing?" Haley asked him, crossing her arms.

"Jamie was just dropping off some things." He responded, clearing his throat.

"I can tell." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Nathan... What was all that?"

"Haley, it doesn't matter." Nathan said, shrugging. "We're leaving."

She looked up at him, sighing softly. "Whatever, Nathan. I don't care right now."

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard?" He asked her, rolling his eyes.

"Me? You think I'm going overboard?" Haley snapped, shaking her head. "Don't you think you're being a little bit of an ass?"

"Yes." He responded, crossing his arms, turning around and knocking on Jamie's door. "Jamie, we're leaving. Let's go."

"At least you know it." Haley said, shaking her head.

Jamie walked out of his room slowly, a sad look on his face as he looked up at his parents. "Here you go, Mama." He said quietly. "We got you something." He held out a small bag, looking up at her.

Haley took it from the small boy, sending him a small smile, opening up the bag. She looked in it, before looking at Jamie.

Red pens.

She looked at Jamie curiously, raising her eyebrows.

"You were using a blue pen this morning." Jamie informed her. "And I know you like to use red ones when you look at homework. I couldn't find one in the house." He stated, nodding up at her.

Haley's smile grew brushing her fingers through Jamie's hair, kneeling down and pulling him into a tight hug.

It was something small, but the fact that he had taken her into consideration.

She pressed her face into his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

Hugging her son always made her feel so much better.

"I love you, Mama." Jamie said softly to her, hugging her tightly.

She felt herself tear up a little bit, pulling him closer to her. "I love you too, baby." She said, stroking his hair lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"You aren't going to come over tonight?" Jamie asked her, his face falling once again.

Haley glanced up at Nathan, pressing a kiss to Jamie's forehead. "Not tonight, Jamie. Daddy is going to drop you off at school tomorrow, and then you know who's picking you up?"

"Aunt Quinn." Haley said, pushing we fingers through Jamie's hair.

"Really?" Jamie asked, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, and then she's going to play with you for a little while, then bring you to my school. Sound fun?"

"Yes." Jamie responded, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow, baby. But don't think for a second that I won't be thinking about you the whole time." She said, hugging him tighter to her.

"I won't. I love you." He said, rubbing his nose against hers. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said, letting out a deep breath, glancing over at Nathan. "Ready to go play those new videos games?"

Nathan didn't miss the disapproving glance from Haley. "Yeah, buddy. Let's go." He said, smiling at him. He walked over to Haley when she stood up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

"You too." She responded, "Call me if you need anything. Let me know before your flight takes off tomorrow, and when you land."

He nodded at her, sighing softly. "I will." He said, hesitating for a moment, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.

She brought her hand up to his face, cupping his cheek, holding him close to her.

Nathan pulled back after a second, sending her a small smile. "I'll see you in a couple days." He said, turning away, grabbing onto Jamie's hand.

"Nathan." She said, grabbing his other hand. She glanced down at Jamie, before meeting her boyfriend's eyes once again. "I love you, baby. Don't think for a second that I don't, okay?" She whispered, squeezing his hand. "Travel safely. I'll see you in a couple days." She repeated back to him.

He nodded, kissing her head once more. "Will do." He said, picking up Jamie. "Let's get going, my man. Mom has some work to do."

"Bye, Mommy." Jamie said, waving at her.

"Bye, honey." Haley responded, waving back at him, leaning against the wall, biting her lip.

Nathan gave her one last glance, before heading down the stairs.

Haley heard the front door slam shut, and a car start in the driveway. She leaned against the wall behind her, sliding down it, brushing her fingers through his hair.

These next few days were going to be miserable.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Nathan stepped into his house, dropping his gym bag by the front door, letting out a deep breath. He felt like shit. His body ached, right along with his heart and his head. He'd played less than adequate, which resulted in punishment at practice. A lot of yelling, and long hours at practice and in the weight room.

He kicked his bag lightly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Haley was pissing him off, to say the least least. Their brief conversations were pissing him off, but most of all, he had pissed himself off. Frankly, the only person or thing he wasn't angry at was Jamie. The five year old was becoming the only person he could tolerate. He'd been especially angry at Clay, so he definitely wasn't looking forward to seeing him tomorrow at Thanksgiving, all loved up with Quinn, while his relationship was going to consist of hushed, angry, words behind closed doors and avoiding the problem until everyone left, most likely.

He let out an annoyed sigh, walking over to the fridge and yanking open the door, shaking his head. Haley had already filled his fridge with a bunch of food. He dipped in finger in something with whip cream, smelling it before eating it off his finger.

"I don't think you're supposed to be eating that."

Nathan jumped slightly, turning around, a grin forming on his face.

"Lydia James." He said, closing the fridge and hurrying over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh, it has been way too long." Lydia said, hugging Nathan tightly to her, smiling at him. "How have you been?"

"Busy." Nathan chuckled, letting out a deep breath. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me that daughter of mine didn't talk to you about offering up your house." Lydia said, resting her hand on Nathan's shoulder.

"No, she did. I just figured you would stay at her house." He said, shrugging.

"It came down to us or Taylor, and you know how she gets about Taylor." Lydia joked, smiling at him. "And we wanted to go where ever the grand kids went, and most of them wanted to stay here."

"Who's all here?" Nathan asked, leaning against the countertop, raising his eyebrows.

"Everyone." She warned him, patting his cheek. "Taylor is staying at Haley's house in Jamie's room. Quinn is sleeping there too, somewhere .Vivian is in the guest room, and them everyone else is here. Except for Jason, nearly his whole family is sick so they opted not to take the trip to Tree Hill."

"Is Haley here?" He asked her softly, glancing towards the stairs.

"No." She responded, sending him a small smile. "Were you expecting her?"

"A little." He said, shifting slightly under her gaze. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh, no. I forgot my earplugs. Over the last year, Jimmy has picked up the worst habit of snoring so loudly. I sleep in spurts of about two hours or so. I've been awake for awhile." Lydia said, waving her hand. "You know, I'm a little disappointed in you."

Nathan's head perked up, blinking at her. "Uh... Why?" He asked her, clearing his throat.

"You haven't returned any of my phone calls in awhile." She said, kinking one eyebrow at him.

"Right." He said, blowing out a deep breath. "I know, I'm the worst." He said sheepishly, diverting his gaze from hers. "I talk to you when Haley is talking to you." He reminded her, sighing softly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Lydia said, waving her hand. "Are you doing alright? You look a little tired?"

"I know. I'm hoping to avoid any talk about how horrible I played the past two games. I came from a great game in Miami, to two terrible games in Charlotte. Home court, and I played terribly." Nathan chuckled, shaking his head.

"You did fine, Nathan. You're doing great." Lydia assured him, smiling up at him. "I'll let you get to bed now, though. I think Jamie might be in your room though."

"Sounds good to me." He said, hugging her once more. "Good luck."

"Don't let Jimmy's snoring wake you up, it's shaking the whole entire house." She said, shaking her head.

"Don't tell Haley I put my finger in her food." He said, winking at her. "I'll see you in the morning. Pretty much none of the food in here is mine but feel free to eat anything."

He let out a deep breath, sending her one last smile, and heading up the stairs.

xxxx

Nathan was glaring at her while she was pulling food out of his oven, and she could definitely feel it. Tensions had been high at his house the whole morning. For once, no one was in the kitchen staring over her shoulder, making sure she was doing things right. Andrew had tried to boss her around about the turkey, but she'd shut him down quickly, and thankfully, he'd had the sense not to keep arguing.

But Nathan was glaring at her. Why the hell was he glaring at her? Last time she checked, she hadn't kept a big secret from him.

She'd tried to ignore it at first, almost hoping that someone else would walk into the kitchen. There was so much commotion outside, she could hear the kids screaming. But of course no one wanted to be inside.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" She finally snapped, turning around and crossing her arms.

"You weren't here last night." He said, shaking his head, standing up from his seat at the bar, walking around, leaning back against the counter.

"And?" Haley asked him, shaking her head. Really? That was his reasoning. "You didn't come to my house either." She reminded him, shrugging.

Nathan raised his eyebrows at her. "You were supposed to be here, not at your house."

"What?" She asked him, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said you would be here." He scowled at her, rolling his eyes. "I think I'm being pretty obvious."

"I didn't say I was going to be here." Haley said slowly, raising her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes you did. You texted me and said that you would be staying the night here." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, setting it on the counter.

"Um... No I didn't." She said, sighing softly. "I told you I was going to stay at my house."

"No you didn't, Haley. You said you would be staying here." He said, gesturing around.

"Well, damn, Nathan. If you're so correct, why don't you read it to me? I said that I was going to stay home, but Jamie wanted to stay here. I told you that you could do whatever you wanted." She said, turning away from him.

"No you..." He began, reading over the text and sighing in defeat when he read it once more. Okay, so maybe she was right.

"I don't want your attitude in here, okay? I've already kicked out Andrew and Vivian because they were being annoying." She scolded him, letting out a deep sigh.

"You're overreacting, Haley." He said, shaking his head. "Completely overreacting."

Haley pointed towards the back door, "Get out."

"Bad time?" Clay interrupted, as he walked into the kitchen, clearing his throat.

She glared over at Clay, letting out a deep breath. "Quinn is outside. She's been waiting for you." She said, nodding at him.

Nathan glanced over at Clay, before looking back at Haley. "Hi, buddy." He said, sending him a small smile.

"Haley, you better not be interfering with my client's game. He's been a little off." Clay joked, pulling a face as Nathan tensed up.

"Clay, Quinn is outside." Haley said again, turning her gaze back to the food she was preparing.

"Got it." Clay said, shifting slightly at the very uncomfortable atmosphere in the room, deciding to not say anything further, and to go greet his girlfriend outside.

As soon as Clay was gone, Nathan turned to Haley.

"Can you just be civil?" He asked her, shaking his head.

"I didn't even bring it up, Nathan. You're the one that is telling me that I'm overreacting. I haven't even said anything about it to you." She said simply, letting out a small sigh. "Would you just go? Please, I'd rather have Vivian in here staring at everything I'm doing than talking to you about this right now."

"Fine." He said simply, crossing his arms. "It's not like you would've been happy about it either way, Haley. So I really don't care anymore."

"Okay." She responded, rubbing her neck lightly, shaking her head.

She honestly just wanted him to leave. He was just making her more stressed out. She'd spent the better half of his time away from Tree Hill feeling more than a little upset about his lack of honesty towards her. She'd only had two days of school this week, which was good for her. Jamie could sense that something was wrong though, he could tell that the conversations between her and Nathan were a little less than friendly at the moment. And she had been a little disappointed when he had not showed up at her house last night, but clearly that was a miscommunication on both of their parts.

He sighed, shaking his head. "That's all you're going to say?"

"What else do you want me to say, Nathan? Maybe next time you should write me a script so I know exactly how this conversation is supposed to go." She grumbled to him, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"You're being so-"

"Daddy!" Jamie yelled, running into the kitchen. "Everyone is about to play football. You have to come."

"In a second, Jamie." Nathan dismissed his son, shaking his head and keeping his gaze on Haley.

"Go, Nathan." Haley urged him, looking over at Jamie's crumbled expression.

Nathan wanted to argue with her. Tell her that she wasn't the boss of him, but as soon as he followed her gaze over to their son, he caved. Jamie was a visual of how he actually felt inside, broken up. So maybe he could make at least one person a little happier.

He nodded his head, reaching down and grabbing onto Jamie's hand. "Lead the way, Jame." He said, smiling down at him.

He sent Haley one last glance, before following Jamie outside.

Haley let out a deep breath, leaning against the countertop for a moment, closing her eyes.

This was tearing her up. She missed Nathan so dearly. She missed sharing a bed with him, waking up next to him. She missed to smooth relationship. And now that there were a few rocks in the road, her guard was up, no matter how much she didn't want it to be there. The last time there were some bumps in the road, they'd split up.

She didn't want that to happen, and she didn't think it was going to happen. But she felt betrayed by him. Not so much that he had entertained the idea of trading teams, but because he had made the decision not to tell her about it for weeks.

The fact that she found out from a gossip column... It made her feel a little sick.

"Lost in thought?" Her father's voice sounded behind her, causing a smile to form on her face.

"Maybe a little." She admitted, turning around to face him.

"I thought maybe you could use some nonjudgmental help." Jimmy admitted, smiling at her.

"I'm never offering to do Thanksgiving ever again. They're all like vultures." Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Really, it's almost done. You can go back outside. We got a lot done last night."

"I seem to remember you and Viv getting in an argument about buttering rolls not too long ago." He reminded her, raising his eyebrows at her. "I'd have to include you in the vultures group."

"Go back outside." Haley laughed, rolling her eyes. "Andrew is the real control freak."

"Haley Bob-"

"Don't say it, Dad. I know, I like to be in control." She groaned, shaking her head. "He went to one year of culinary school before he decided to switch careers, and he thinks he's the most amazing chef on the planet."

"You didn't even go to culinary school, and you think you're the most amazing chef in the world." Jimmy teased her, dropping his arm around her shoulders.

"Well you can't even cook and you think you're the most amazing chef in the world." Haley argued, shaking her head and laughing.

"Hey now. Too far." He said, looking down at her. "I'm here to help you, since you've banished everyone else. But I can go."

"No." Haley sighed, looking up at him. "It's really almost done, but you can stay in here, if you want."

"If I want." Jimmy said, nodding at her. "Okay. That's code for I need a dad talk."

"No..." She trailed off, beginning to take things out of the fridge.

"What is it? Are you pregnant?" Jimmy asked her, crossing his arms.

"What? No." She said quickly, "No." She assured him, setting things on the island.

"Just checking. Your mom and I were taking bets. I'll have to let her know that she lost." Jimmy teased her, helping her take things out of the fridge.

"Very funny." She grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Don't act like you're so innocent, youngest child of mine. You can't pull that card when you have a child outside." He said, laughing.

"I'm not pregnant, Dad." She said, sighing softly. "It's nothing."

"Okay, Bob. Keep it to yourself then. You're giving up a great opportunity to have a heart to heart." Jimmy said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll give you one last chance."

Haley was quiet for a second, before she turned and looked at him. "We're just fighting." She sighed, biting her lip.

"I'm not sure I could take him, but I can give it a shot." He suggested, resting his hand on her shoulder.

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, we're going to be fine. It's just hard to work out our problems when we're trying to pretend like we don't have any." She said quietly.

Jimmy pulled her into a hug, smiling slightly. "You know, I can only guess what this is about, and I feel like I have a pretty good idea, but you're going to be fine, kiddo. You and Nathan will be okay, but regardless of what happens, above all, you have a rambunctious little five year old that will lift you out of whatever funk you get in." He assured her, smiling.

Haley let out a deep breath, nodding her head. "Thanks, Dad." She said, smiling up at him.

"You go outside and sit with your mother." Jimmy said, nodding at her. "You're about done in here."

"I know and I will, I just need to go change." She said, letting out a deep breath. "Should I be the mean mom and make Jamie change, or the fun mom and let him stay in his Ravens jersey?"

"Definitely the fun mom. Don't make him get all dressed up, or your mom will make me go get dressed up." He said, shaking his head. "I'd rather just keep my t-shirt on. I say you keep the t-shirt on too. You don't need to change."

"Yeah, yeah. Well I want to." She said, smiling at him. "Maybe you should go outside and make sure that Taylor isn't tackling Nathan on purpose."

"Hey, I can do that." He laughed, "She gave him a hickey last time, don't you remember? That was a long time ago." He tapped his fingers on the countertop, before pointing at Haley. "Oh, wait. That was you. You're the one that gave it to him."

"Dad!" She groaned, her cheeks heating up at his comment. "I'm going to go change. This conversation is over. Don't bring it up again, please. Ever."

"You asked if you could talk to him during dinner, and he came out with the goofiest grin on his face. Even if you had not put it in a visible spot, we all would've known." Jimmy teased her, winking at her.

"That's enough." She grumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Go tell Brandon to get up and set the table, he's been sitting there all day."

"I can do that. Want me to tell Nathan to do it to?" He suggested, grinning at her.

"Yeah." She laughed, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, I'll be back. And then we can gather everyone."

"Alright. I'll go put some people to work." Jimmy said, highfiving her.

She smiled at him, letting out a deep breath and heading up the stairs.

xxxx

"And I jumped off the bar, ran right over to him, and threw my drink on him." Taylor said, laughing.

"Every time you tell that story, it makes me look up to you even more." Quinn said, leaning back against Clay's arm.

"I'm a great example." Taylor hummed, winking at her.

"Tay, tell the story about when you talked that guy into giving you fifty bucks." Andrew laughed, reaching forward and smacking her knee.

"That was me." Brandon grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I was the dumbass that gave her fifty bucks."

"And it's funny every time." Lydia chimed in, smiling at him.

"Funny to everyone but us." Brandon said, gesturing to himself and his wife.

Haley let out a deep breath, glancing over at Nathan as their siblings talked among each other. He was sitting in a chair that he'd pulled in from the kitchen, a thoughtful expression in his face.

She looked down the couch and Clay and Quinn, wanting more than anything to glare at Clay for putting the thought of trading teams into Nathan's head. She had to talk herself down though, because Clay wasn't forcing Nathan into hiding that from her. He was just doing his job.

When Quinn met her eyes, she quickly turned her head away, a small smile forming on her face when she felt her older sister grab onto her hand, and give it a comforting squeeze.

"Should we talk about your games this week, Nathan? Or should we leave it?" Andrew said, crossing his arms and grinning at him.

Nathan blinked at the mention of his name, looking over at him. "Huh?"

"Back off, Andy." Lydia said, shaking her head.

"As your agent, I'm advising you to use the phrase 'no comment' for that question." Clay joked, sending Nathan a comforting smile.

"No comment." Nathan responded, smirking slightly.

"Jared was glued to the TV during the Miami game, and then he was barely glancing at it the last couple games." Vivian said, rubbing her husband's neck lightly.

"Hey, sometimes I have to take off my cape." Nathan chuckled, brushing his hands through his hair.

"Miami played a good game. Looks like they might be missing a piece though." Jared said, clearing his throat and looking over at him.

Nathan's eyes quickly moved to Clay, who offered him a small head shake. He suddenly felt a little relieved that he was here, despite his previous anger towards him.

Haley wanted this conversation to be over more than anything. It was painful for her to listen to, and her and Nathan couldn't even make eye contact.

"Looks like they might be looking into a point guard." Taylor said, smirking at him.

"Isn't everyone always looking into getting me on their team?" Nathan responded, returning her smirk and crossing his arms.

"Doubt it." Andrew said, clearing his throat.

"Let's get on a new subject before Andrew and Nathan get into an argument." Lydia suggested, looking over at them. "I need some more grand kids."

"Oh, right. Because this is a better conversation." Vivian sighed, shaking her head.

"I think I hear one of my many kids calling my name. Good luck, you guys." Brandon said, standing up and hurrying up the stairs.

"I have four." Andrew said, holding up his hands, shaking his head.

"Not sure it's the right time for me to start having kids." Taylor said, shrugging. "It's been awhile since Vivian has had a kid though."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Vivian said, clearing her throat.

"Shoot." Lydia said, looking over at Haley, raising her eyebrows. "How's Jamie doing? He's getting pretty big, isn't he?"

"I already questioned her about this today, Lydia. She's not pregnant." Jimmy said, shaking his head.

Nathan leaned back, crossing his arms and letting out a deep breath. Yeah, this wasn't helping.

"I don't think I'll be having more kids for awhile." Haley said, nodding at her mother.

"Dammit. I miss babies." Lydia sighed, sending Quinn a quick glance.

"Nope." Quinn answered, shaking her head.

"I already tried to convince her, Lydia." Clay joked, smiling down at Quinn.

"Keep trying, Clay." Lydia said, sending him a thumbs up.

Clay's phone started ringing, a few seconds later, and Haley watched as he glanced down at it, before looking at Nathan, excusing himself from the room slowly.

Nathan's eyes followed him out of the room, leaning back in his chair, pushing his hand through his hair.

Jimmy and Lydia looked at each other, before looking over at Haley.

"So, does someone want to tell us about why Nathan was so pink?" Lydia laughed, looking over at Nathan. "Still is a little pink. Not that it's not a good color on you."

"He wouldn't put sunscreen on when I told him to." Haley said flatly, leaning back against the couch.

"Ah, I should've guessed." Lydia said, looking back at their youngest child again. "How's school going, Haley?"

"Fine." Haley responded, resting her elbow on the arm rest, leaning her hand against her palm.

"Don't tell us everything at once, Hales." Taylor said, shaking her head.

"Alright, well the youngest is in the clear. Quinn?" Jimmy said, looking at Quinn and smiling.

"There are certain benefits to having a boyfriend with connections, so career wise I'm doing well, and happiness wise I'm doing amazing." Quinn hummed, giving Haley's hand another squeeze.

Haley sent Quinn a small smile, biting her lip lightly, standing up and walking out of the room a few seconds later.

Nathan and Quinn both watched her go, starting to rise from their seats, before surprisingly, Taylor stood up.

"Let me." Taylor hummed, nodding at Nathan, before following Haley out of the room.

"Let's hope that doesn't do more harm than good." Vivian said, letting out a small sigh.

Nathan nodded slowly, sitting back down, wiping his palms on his jeans.

xxxx

Haley looked up when Taylor entered Nathan's bedroom, letting out a small sigh and leaning back against the headboard, closing her eyes. She felt the weight shift on the bed, pressing her face into her hands, staying quiet.

"Nathan is looking pretty hot, I can see why you got back together with him." Taylor said, smiling at her. "Thankfully his calling in life was basketball and not football, because he's not very good at it."

Haley sighed softly, removing her hands off her face and looking over at Taylor.

"I could take him down easily." Taylor said, nudging her elbow into Haley's side. "I bet that works to your advantage in this department." She said, gesturing around.

"Oh you have no idea, one time..." She began like she was going to tell her a story, before shaking her head. "What do you want, Taylor?"

"Easy, easy." Taylor laughed, shaking her head. "Come on, Hay. I'm wise, talk to me."

Haley looked over at her, sighing softly. "I'd rather just keep it all bottled up until I explode."

"That's one option." Taylor laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Jamie is getting big."

"Yeah." Haley sighed, rubbing her neck lightly. "That's not really something I want to talk about either."

"Well damn, give me some subjects I can talk about. No talking about your sex life, no talking about your kid growing up." Taylor responded, shaking her head.

"The weather." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh yeah? Bet the weather hasn't been too great in here lately?" Taylor said, smirking at her and gesturing around again.

Haley rolled her eyes, "He hasn't even been home, so you could say that." She said, sighing softly.

"So this is a new development, the awkward silences." Taylor said, nodding at her. "See, we're getting somewhere. So when did it start? And who cut who off?"

She let out a deep sigh. Taylor wasn't going to quit.

"Look, Taylor. You guys can figure it out." Haley said simply, shaking her head.

"Is he worse in bed than you remember?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Stop it, Taylor. We aren't talking about sex anymore." Haley said, pushing her hand through her hair.

"Well, maybe I should go talk to Nathan then. He and I might speak the same language." Taylor said, winking at her.

"That's not funny." Haley responded, leaning back, looking around Nathan's room.

"Okay, I'm going to keep making jokes about you and Nathan, or Nathan and me if you don't start talking." Taylor hummed, nodding.

Haley sighed, staying quiet and crossing her arms, biting her lip lightly.

Taylor waited for about a minute for Haley to start talking, before she started.

"So, is he bigger than you remember him?" Taylor began, smirking at her. "He was experienced when you were together a few years ago, but now that he's been in the NBA, he probably has women-"

"Okay!" Haley sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, okay. That's enough. I'll talk." She grumbled, letting out a deep breath. That was the way Taylor worked. She annoyed her until Haley would give up information.

"Yes! Works every time." Taylor said, grinning at her. "So, tell your good ol' sister what's bothering you."

"He didn't tell me." Haley said quickly, biting her lip. "About the possibility of him trading teams."

"He didn't tell you?" Taylor asked her, frowning. "I thought maybe you guys were just fighting about it. He didn't tell you? At all?"

"Well, after I'd found out he told me." Haley said, shaking her head. "And I just... I don't know what to do."

Taylor wrapped her arms around Haley's shoulders. "Just let him have it, Haley. That's what I'd do. Stick it to him."

"It's more complicated than that." Haley said, sighing softly. "I just... What if he really wants this?"

"Well so what? Would you move?" Taylor asked, looking down at her.

"Maybe, I mean, I love him. And Jamie plays a big role in this. I don't want him to live in a different state than his dad." Haley sighed, shaking her head.

"He has a perfectly great job right now, so... I think you should fight for what you want." Taylor said simply.

"But it's not just about me, Taylor." Haley said, looking over at her. "Look, if he trades teams, then I don't think I have an option."

"That's not true." Taylor said, shaking her head. "You have options."

"I don't want to separate Nathan and Jamie. I couldn't do that." She said, biting her lip.

"If he can live in Charlotte, he can live in Miami." Taylor shrugged her shoulders.

"A few hours is different from a few states." Haley said, looking around the room once again.

"You have a job." Taylor nudged her. "He's not the only person in your relationship, Haley."

"I know." Haley sighed, closing her eyes. "Last week, I wasn't worried about a damn thing. I was getting ready to go away with Nathan, for a nice weekend together. And now I'm locked up in his bedroom with you."

"Oh, you know just what to say." Taylor laughed, "Hey, at least now I have an excuse to be in here. I can snoop through his things, see if I can find any cash."

Haley laughed, rolling her eyes and leaning into Taylor. "I just need to talk to him, but I need Jamie to be gone when I do it. And everyone else. So it's going to have to wait until Saturday."

"I'm sorry, Haley." Taylor said, rubbing her shoulder. "I wish your boyfriend wasn't a tool."

"He's not." Haley responded, closing her eyes. She looked up when she heard the door open, and watched as Vivian, Quinn, and their mother all walked into the room, holding a pie tin.

"Well, you two haven't ripped each other's hair out, so that must be a good sign." Lydia joked, sitting on the other side of the bed next to Haley, setting the tin in her lap, holding out a fork.

"Who would've thought that Taylor would be the sister to calm you down? Usually that's Quinn's job." Vivian joked, sitting down on the bed.

"I'm a little jealous." Quinn admitted, winking at Haley. "You doing alright, Hales?"

"Yes." Haley said, smiling slightly. "I just needed to clear my head. I like it in here."

"Haley is just concerned that Nathan is going to develop a crush on me. I told her I'd cool off a little bit." Taylor joked, shrugging her shoulders.

"You were always the nicest sister." Quinn said sarcastically.

"You shoved your own bra down the toilet and blamed it on me." Taylor pointed out, crossing her arms.

"You made out with my boyfriend!" Quinn argued, rolling her eyes.

"I do not miss having kids at home." Lydia chuckled, shaking her head. "I forgot how much of a handful you all were."

"You're telling me. I had six younger siblings that never seemed to be quiet." Vivian laughed, rolling her eyes.

"That's not how I remember it." Quinn argued, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"Well that's how it went." Vivian said simply, nodding. "I could've been an only child, but no." She said, sending a mock glare at Lydia.

"Don't look at me, blame your father." Lydia hummed, holding up her hands. "He's a wild one that doesn't like to keep his hands to himself. I finally got control of him after Haley."

"Not necessary for us to hear." Haley said, shaking her head, laughing quietly.

"Oh, it's perfectly normal." Lydia teased them, wrapping her arms around Haley's shoulders. "I'm sorry you're having a bad day, Haley Bob."

"I'm okay, really." Haley assured them, letting out a deep breath. "I think the Thanksgiving stress is just getting to me."

"If that's your story." Quinn said, nodding at her.

"It is." Haley laughed, leaning back against the headboard. "You guys better all get back there. If you don't, everyone will come in here, and I'm not sure Nathan will appreciate the whole house meeting in his bedroom."

Lydia nodded at her, pressing a kiss to her head, hugging her into her side for a second. "We can do that."

Taylor stood up first, taking the pie from Haley's hand. "I'll take this, thank you." She hummed, turning and heading out of the room.

Vivian followed, then Lydia. Quinn hesitated when Haley didn't stand up to join them.

"Hales..." Quinn said, frowning at her.

"I'll be down in a second." Haley said, sighing softly. "I just want to be alone."

"Haley." Quinn argued, shaking her head.

"I just have a lot to think about, Quinn. I'll be done in less than five minutes." Haley assured her, sending her a small smile.

Quinn nodded reluctantly, before walking out of the room, glancing over her shoulder.

xxxx

"What did they say?" Nathan whispered, stepping outside and looking around to make sure they were the only two out here.

Clay turned around, letting out a deep breath. "Only you would make me work on a holiday. I better be getting holiday pay for this."

"Shut up, Clay." Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "What did they say?"

Clay took a seat at one of the tables outside, gesturing for Nathan to sit in the chair across from him.

"Nothing good, I'm assuming." Nathan sighed, sitting down, tapping his fingers on the table.

"They're saying all the right things, Nathan. Everything we want to hear, we're hearing it." Clay said, grinning at him. "Everything."

Nathan leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows. "You scared me, man." He laughed, pushing his hand through his hair. "Everything?"

"Everything." Clay repeated, looking at him. "They want you bad, Nathan. Bad enough that they didn't even counter offer, they just accepted our offer."

Nathan looked down, nodding his head. "This is good, right?"

"Depends on how you look at it. It looks like you have some decisions to make." Clay said, leaning back, setting his cellphone down on the table.

Nathan shifted slightly at his words, glancing up towards the house, before looking all around his back yard, his gaze falling back to the balcony connected to his bedroom. "Yeah."

Clay followed his eyes, clearing his throat. "Nathan, I would never do anything to harm your family. I'm sorry if there's been a little strain on you and Haley, and I think a lot of that could fall on me. I shouldn't have pushed you. But look at how it's going. They want you, Nathan." He began, nodding his head. "So it's your choice. I have your back where ever you want to go."

"It's a good deal?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"It's a great one. Not very often do teams just accept our counteroffer. There's usually some negotiating." Clay said, nodding at him.

Nathan let out a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second, rubbing his neck.

Clay glanced up towards the balcony once again, before looking at Nathan. "At the end of the day, Nathan... It's your career. Your life. No matter what I say, what the fans say, even what Haley says. It's your career, and your choice. If you want this, take it. I'll give you some time to think about it."

"I want it." Nathan said simply, nodding at him. "I don't need to think about it anymore, all I've done is think about it. This deal, right here. This is the one I want."

"Are you sure you don't want to think about it anymore?" Clay asked him, blinking slowly.

"Like you said, it's my career. I'm done thinking about it." Nathan said simply, standing up. He brushed his hands through his hair, "I want this, Clay."

"I just want you to be sure, Nathan. I want you to think about what you may be giving up." Clay said, standing up as well.

"I have. And it doesn't matter." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "I want it, so take it." He said, before heading inside.

xxxx

Haley found Nathan standing in a nearly empty room inside of his house, looking around.

There were boxes scattered all around the room, and a chair in the corner, but that was it.

"Hey." She said softly, watching him turn around to look at her quickly. "I've been looking for you."

"Somehow, I doubt that. You said we could talk, but you don't seem to want to." He responded, shoving his hands into his pockets, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "What? Are you headed out? It's getting late."

Haley ignored his little jab directed towards their earlier conversation, shaking her head. "I just put Jamie to bed. We'll see if he stays asleep. A room full of kids that he likes to talk to doesn't usually equal in a good night of rest."

"He'll probably just end up in my bed anyways. Should've just put him in there." Nathan said softly, picking up one of the boxes, setting it in one corner of the room, before beginning to do the same with the others.

"What's in the boxes?" She asked him softly, glancing over her shoulder at the door behind her.

"Stuff." He responded, shrugging. "Just old stuff. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, just trying to clear the room."

"Room for what?" She asked him curiously, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Nathan looked at her, letting out a deep breath. "You know, this is the house that I was going to buy for us." He informed her, gesturing around. "I knew I was going to the NBA, and I looked at this house for us."

She looked at him, picking up one of the boxes, beginning to help him move them into the corner.

"I don't know why I bought it. Maybe I just thought we'd live here one day." He said, shaking his head. "I just wanted to give you a better life, Haley. A happier life than the one we were living. I still want that, you know? You could be the happiest person in the world, but I'd still be trying to make you happier."

Haley stayed quiet, looking over at him and biting her lip softly.

"Are you happy, Haley?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She was quiet for a second, before finally spoke.

"Today? No." She said simply, shrugging. "Not even a little bit."

He looked at her, nodding slowly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm surrounded by the people that are most important to me, Nathan. And I can't be happy. All of this going on right now, it doesn't make me happy." She said, shaking her head. "The way we are today, and the last couple days, it doesn't make me happy."

"You told me that we could talk once I got back, and I've been trying to talk, but you won't listen. You keep telling me not here, not now. Later. You're choosing to be unhappy, Haley." He argued with her, shaking his head.

"I'm not choosing this, Nathan! This is not my choice." She said, gesturing between them. "Is this how it's going to be again, Nathan? Because I told you I didn't want this. For us, or for Jamie."

"What does that even mean, Haley?" He asked, shaking his head.

"If this relationship is going to be built on betraying trust, then I'm not going to do it again." She said, letting out a deep breath. She stepped over to him, grabbing his hand, holding it to her heart. "I love you, Nathan. Do you love me?"

"Yes." He said quickly, his voice barely above a whisper. "With everything in me, Haley."

"You have me, Nathan. All of me. I gave you my heart, my love. I trust you with the most important thing in my life, and you trust me with the most important thing in yours. But when you do things like this, Nathan... When you don't tell me important things like, 'Hey the nanny won't stop hitting on me, by the way she kissed me.' Or 'Hey, I'm thinking about packing up and moving to a different state' it breaks my trust." She said, squeezing his hand. "And it makes me feel guarded."

He looked down at her, letting out a deep breath. "It's different this time, Haley."

"Yeah, it is. Jamie's old enough to remember how happy he is right now. And that's not something we can throw around, Nathan. I need the honesty from you. I need it. He needs it." She said, keeping his hand pressed against her heart.

"I didn't mean for this to happen." He said softly, looking away from her.

"But you knew that you weren't telling me, Nathan. What did you think was going to happen? You'd just trade teams and move to Florida without me finding out?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"No." He sighed, turning away from her, shaking his head. "But I think you're overreacting."

Haley let out an annoyed sigh, shaking her head. "So you keep saying." She said, pulling her hair to the side, rubbing her neck.

He looked over his shoulder at her, unbuttoning a few of the buttons on his shirt, tugging on his collar.

"Look at me." She demanded, crossing her arms. "Turn around, and look at me."

Nathan did as she asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm not mad at you for wanting something different, Nathan. I'm mad because you didn't tell me." She said softly, resting her hands on his cheeks, nodding at him.

"I know." He said softly, resting his hand on her wrist, turning his face and pressing a soft kiss to her hand.

She dropped her hands down to her sides, letting out a deep breath. "I've been looking at houses in Miami." She told him quietly, nodding. "I don't want to do this, Nathan... But if this is something you want, then we can do it."

He blinked, looking down at her. "What?" He asked her quietly.

"If you want this, then lets do it, Nathan." She said, nodding at him. "I've thought about it a lot."

He searched her eyes, grabbing her waist, pulling her to him, kissing her quickly.

Haley melted into him, resting her hands on the sides of his neck, closing her eyes tightly.

He had been a big source of stress over the past couple of days, but now, kissing him, she felt it all start to disappear. They had a lot to talk about, but it felt nice to feel the connection, the need to be with him.

He pulled away after a second, tucking her hair behind her ear, smiling slightly at her. "I can't let you do this, Haley."

Well that wasn't what she expected to hear.

"Excuse me?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I can't let you drop everything and move to Miami with me. I don't want you to." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"You don't... Want me to?" She questioned, blinking slowly, crossing her arms once again, taking a small step back.

"No, I don't. You've been sacrificing things for me for years, Haley." He said, nodding down at her. "I'm not taking the Miami deal."

"But, Nathan-"

"Haley, Charlotte made an offer. They want me to stay, and I want to stay. I never really wanted to leave, I was just... Looking, I guess." He said softly, letting out a deep breath. "I know that I should've told you, but I didn't know when the right time would be."

"Anytime would have been better. I should've found out from you, Nathan." She said, poking his chest. "I need you to understand that this is a big deal to me, okay? I need to be able to trust you, and for you to be honest with me. How would you feel if I was looking at a teaching job in... I don't know, Missouri, and I didn't tell you about it? We're building a life, aren't we Nathan? Isn't that the goal of this? To build something together? Be together? Trust each other?"

"I know, but..." He trailed off, looking down at her. "You're right, Hales. You're right. I should've told you."

"Yeah." She said softly, brushing her fingers through his hair. "You really don't want to trade teams?" She asked him quietly.

"No, no. Tree Hill is our home." He said quickly, "And you shouldn't have to keep giving up things for me, Haley. I'll never forgive myself for the fact that you chose to go to Duke, when I could've gone to Stanford. You've given up so much of your time and energy parenting Jamie while I'm away." He said, nodding at her. "The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to do it, and I didn't even want to do it very much in the first place."

She looked up at him, flattening her hand over his chest and letting out a deep breath, hugging him tightly, pressing her face into his neck. "I really didn't want to move." She whispered, letting out a sigh of relief.

Nathan nodded, rubbing his hands up her sides, nodding. "I know, baby." He said, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry, Haley."

Haley pressed a kiss to his cheek, nodding at him. "I love you, Nathan. But I don't want to feel like I'm on the outside, okay? I try to be as open an honest with you as I can be, I just need the same."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for it to all happen like this." He said softly, kissing her forehead. "I would've stayed anyways, Haley. Even if Charlotte didn't make a better offer."

"I would've gone with you, Nathan." She said, nodding at him. "But I'm really glad we can stay."

He smiled at her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'm also sorry I ruined our weekend together, and that I ruined your day with your family."

She brushed her fingers through his hair, "They're not leaving until Saturday." She said, nodding up at him. "There's always tomorrow. I was kind of mean to everyone today, so I guess I'll have to hand out some apologies tomorrow."

He nodded, closing his eyes and letting out a small sigh, hugging her close to him. "You're really a piece of me, Haley James. When we're not okay, I'm not okay. Everything about me is off." He said softly. "You have so much power over me."

Haley smiled, hugging him tighter to her. "I love you so much, Nathan." She whispered, rubbing his back.

"I promise, Haley. I'm not going to keep anything like this from you ever again. It was so stupid of me, I don't know why I did it." He said, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Haley. Thank you."

She pressed her face into his shoulder, gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. "That's all I want, Nathan, love and honesty. I don't need a big house, or anything to be happy. I've always been happy when I feel like we love each other, and we're being honest."

"The big house is just a perk." He said, smiling down at her, tilting her chin up and kissing her lightly. "I love you." He said softly, nodding at her. He looked around the room, letting out a deep breath. "I wanted to turn this into a place for you, Hales. Like an office, or a place where we can put a piano. Somewhere you can escape."

She smiled up at him, "Well, I'd hate to take your..." She looked around, laughing. "Box room."

"This is just old high school stuff. I'm sure I can find another place for it." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Old high school stuff, hm? Maybe I should look through it." She said, kissing him lightly, before walking over to the boxes in the corner.

He grabbed onto her hand, shaking his head. "Maybe another time." He hummed, looking at her. "You should go spend time with your family."

"I spent time with them yesterday." She said, waving her hand.

"Are you going to stay here tonight?" He asked her, squeezing her hand.

"Nathan, I was planning on staying here regardless of whether or not we had a chance to talk. Trust me." She said, nodding at him. "I would've stayed here last night, had I known you were going to misread my message."

"Okay, good." He said, letting out a deep breath, kissing her forehead. "I actually think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long week. And I can sleep easy knowing that we're okay." He said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Give me fifteen minutes to make sure whoever goes back to my house has a key, and say my goodbyes." She said, nodding up at him.

"I'm sorry, Haley." He said softly to her, letting out a deep breath.

"Stop apologizing, Nathan. Just... Do better." She said softly, standing on her toes and kissing him again.

"I will." He assured her, resting his hand on her arm. "Okay, I'll see you when you're done."

She nodded up at him, pulling open the door to leave, before grabbing onto his hand, pulling him to her, kissing him.

Nathan blinked in surprise, before his eyes fluttered shut, pulling her closer to him. He wasn't expecting this out of her. Not that he was complaining or anything.

She gripped the opening in his shirt collar, her thumbs fiddling with the buttons on his shirt.

He started to pull back, before she was pulling him down, her arms hooking around his neck.

"Mm... I'm not done yet." She hummed against his lips, scratching her fingernails over his neck.

He chuckled quietly, letting her take the lead, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her against him.

She pulled back close to a minute later, letting out a deep breath. "Okay..." She resting her hand on her neck, closing her eyes. "Okay, I will see you in a little bit."

He looked at her, smirking slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "Okay."

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Scott." She said, letting out a deep breath, stepping out of the room.

He watched her leave, chuckling quietly, rolling his eyes.

There had been such a weight on his shoulders since their conversation before he left to Charlotte. He knew that his words had to be followed by action so that Haley would know that he was serious, but it felt good to see her looking happier.

He smiled, pushing his hand through his hair, heading down the hall towards his bedroom.

xxxx

"I think this might be the most successful dinner that my family has ever had." Haley said softly, resting her head against Nathan's chest. "I think my family was too scared to cross me."

"They did talk about how scary you are while you were in the kitchen." He said, smiling down at her, kissing her head lightly.

"Of course they did." She said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "And, did you defend me?"

"You want me to lie to them?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

She sighed, shaking her head, curling into his side. "Whatever." She grumbled, scratching his chest through his shirt.

"I love you, Haley." He said quietly, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, again."

She kissed his chest lightly, breathing him in. "I love you too, baby. I want you to know that I would move with you where ever you need to go."

"You shouldn't have to." He said, glancing down at her.

"But I would, okay? I just want to be kept in the loop." She said, lifting her head up, kissing him softly. "This isn't me letting you off the hook. This is me kissing you as much as I can because you have to leave soon."

"Oh, of course." He said, hugging her closer to him. "I don't deserve to be let off the hook just yet."

"At least you're learning." She joked, flattening her hand over his stomach.

"So, is there a, um, reason that people have been asking if you're pregnant?" He asked her, looking down at her.

"No." She answered quickly, rolling her eyes. "Just my family being annoying."

"Okay, just checking." He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

She settled against him, letting out a deep breath. "Goodnight, Nathan." She said softly, soothingly scratching her fingernails over his stomach.

He smiled down at her, kissing her head and settling back against his pillow. "Goodnight, Haley James."


	30. Chapter 30

Sorry for the long wait! I really like this chapter.

Chapter 29

Haley looked up as Brooke walked into her classroom with Jamie, a small smile forming on her face when Jamie ran over to give her a hug.

"Hey baby." Haley hummed, kissing his head. "How was school?"

"Fun!" Jamie said, nodding at her. "We watched movies all day." He informed her, "And there's no school for two weeks!"

"I know, exciting, isn't it?" She said, brushing her fingers through his hair, smiling. She glanced up at Brooke. "Hi Brooke."

"Hello." Brooke hummed out, leaning against her desk. "How much longer are you here?"

"I'm just finishing up." Haley informed her, looking over at the clock.

"When does Nathan get home?" Brooke asked her, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"The weather is pretty bad in Boston, so his flight is delayed until tomorrow." Haley informed her, looking at Jamie. "Did you hear that?"

Jamie nodded his head, "Will he be home when I wake up?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't think so, honey." She said, kissing his head, letting out a small sigh, glancing up at Brooke.

"Jamie Scott, get that sad look off your face right now." Brooke demanded, frowning at him. "How long will he be home?"

"Well, he was supposed to fly in tonight and be here all day tomorrow, and all day Sunday, and fly out again on Sunday night." Haley said, rubbing Jamie's back lightly.

"He's leaving on Christmas Eve." Jamie informed Brooke, nodding. "He has a game."

"So I've heard." Brooke said, smiling down at him. "Jamie, how about you go draw me a picture while I talk to your mom for a second?"

Jamie looked in between them, before nodding his head and moving to sit down at one of the desks in the classroom.

"Are you thinking about going?" Brooke asked Haley quietly, raising her eyebrows

Haley sighed, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I don't know, Brooke." She said, leaning back in her chair. "Part of me wants to, but the other part of me just wants to stay home on Christmas, let Jamie stay in his pajamas all day long."

"Lucas wants to go." Brooke said, glancing over at Jamie.

"Yeah, he told me." Haley said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "The game is in Milwaukee though, and that's a long flight to take a five year old on."

"What did you get him?" Brooke asked her quietly.

"Too many things." Haley laughed, looking over at Jamie. "The kid is spoiled, that's for sure." She said, shaking her head. "Nathan was adamant on getting him a bike without training wheels on it because he's going through this phase where he feels like Luke is teaching Jamie how to do everything, and he wants to teach him to ride a bike. But that won't really work out in Milwaukee either because there's snow there." She said quietly. "Not to mention it will be difficult to get there and back."

Brooke nodded slowly, "Well I don't want to go unless you're going." She said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I'll talk to him about it when he gets home tomorrow, if he gets home tomorrow." She said, looking over at Jamie.

"Well, you could just leave the bike at home." Brooke suggested, shrugging slightly. "Say something about how it was too big for Santa Claus to bring it to your hotel."

"It's just complicated, we'll see." Haley said, looking up at her friend. "Quinn and Clay will be with him, but I know he's upset that Jamie won't be."

"I guess that would explain why Nathan gets all pissy if Luke says anything about Jamie." Brooke laughed, shaking her head.

Haley sighed softly, rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry about that. I think it's just getting to him that Jamie is growing up so quickly."

"And he's missing it." Brooke said softly, looking over at Jamie and smiling. "I'm gone for a week and I feel like he's grown a foot and learned a new vocabulary."

"I wouldn't say that he's missing it." Haley said, beginning to clear off her desk. "I think he's just missing certain details of it."

Brooke nodded her head, looking down at Haley. "Well he kind of chose it."

"He definitely did." Haley said simply, shrugging her shoulders, sighing softly and looking at Jamie.

Brooke looked down at her, frowning slightly. "Are you okay?" She asked her quietly.

Haley rested her elbows on her desk, pressing her face into her hands. "No." She said softly, sighing. "I miss him."

Brooke looked over at Jamie, who was still occupied with drawing, before looking back down at Haley. "Haley." She said, frowning slightly.

"I know, I'm being dumb. But I just feel better when he's here." Haley said quietly, biting her lip. "He tried to call me but I was in class. And when my class was over, I looked at my phone and he had texted me at about two and told me what happened. I definitely wasn't ready when my next class started filing it."

"I'm sorry, Hales. I know it can be hard." Brooke said, frowning at her.

"He hasn't been home in two weeks." Haley said, shaking her head. "I feel so stupid, but it broke my heart when he texted me and told me. I miss him so much."

"Damn weather." Brooke said, smiling at her. "I'm sure he wants to be home just as badly as you want him here."

"I know he does." Haley said, letting out an annoyed sigh, looking over at Jamie. "This sucks. I just want Nathan and his goofy mistletoe hat he wears around this time of year."

"Oh, the mistletoe hat." Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "So charming that I've never seen anyone resist it."

"He loves that hat." Haley said, rolling her eyes. "He's had it for years, and I don't know if he'll ever get rid of it."

"Not if it keeps working he won't." Brooke laughed, "What a goofball. He doesn't let it out very often, but he's the biggest dork."

"I know." Haley responded, smiling brightly. "I can make it one more day. Any more than that though, we might have a problem."

"He'll be home. Even if he has to hop in a car and drive, I guarantee it. If there's one thing I know about Nathan Scott, it's that he'll do anything for you two." Brooke assured her, looking over at Jamie. "Well, James Lucas Scott. Let's see this wonderful drawing." She hummed, standing up, walking over and looking down at the desk Jamie was sitting in. "Amazing. Much better than Peyton."

Jamie looked up at her, grinning. "Thank you." He hummed out.

Haley stood up, picking up her purse, straightening out her chair. "Okay, let's see it." She said, walking over and looking down, smiling. "Wow, Jamie. This is definitely going on Aunt Brooke's fridge."

"There's no question about it." Brooke said, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"I'll keep drawing them." Jamie said, standing up, handing the paper to Brooke, beginning to put his crayons away.

"Good boy." Brooke hummed, nodding at them. "I'm going to go see if Lucas is in his office. I'll see you all soon. Haley, let me know what your plans are."

Haley nodded, hugging Brooke briefly, before watching Jamie step forward and hug her, before she left the room.

She turned to her son, lifting his backpack off his shoulders, slinging it on her own. "Okay, baby. Let's get going home."

Jamie nodded, grabbing onto her hand, following her out of the classroom, waiting patiently while she locked the door.

Haley looked at him, grabbing onto his hand again, leading him out to her car slowly. She helped him up into his carseat, buckling him in, before getting in herself.

He was pretty quiet the whole ride home. Maybe he was tired from school, but he was most likely feeling upset about Nathan.

She helped him out of the car once they arrived at home, leading him inside and hanging his backpack up.

"Jamie, come here." She said softly as he started to head up the stairs.

Haley led him into the living room, sitting down on the couch. "Talk to me, sweetie. You were okay in my classroom"

"I don't want Aunt Brooke to see me upset." Jamie said quietly, looking at her.

Haley's heart broke at the tears that were welling in his eyes. She could tell that a melt down was on it's way. Probably from a combination of not seeing Nathan tonight, and staying up a little too late last night watching his game.

She pulled him over into her lap, wiping away the tears that started to roll down his cheeks. She stroked his hair in an attempt to get him to calm down. "Jamie, come on." She said softly, kissing his head. "He'll be home tomorrow."

"He promised he'd be home tonight." Jamie grumbled, shaking his head, clenching his hands into fists. "I don't want him tomorrow. He's supposed to be home tonight."

"Hey, hey." She soothed her hand over his back, resting her chin on top of his head. "I know, Jamie. There's nothing he can do."

"It's not fair." Jamie whined out, sighing softly.

Haley lifted her head up, looking down at him. Most of the time, he loved Nathan being in the NBA. Absolutely loved telling people about his dad, watching him on TV. But there were times where he just wanted him home, and most of the time, Nathan was homesick as well. Usually it was at the end of a two week long road trip, where the phone calls were brief, and contact was limited because Nathan was busy.

Jamie's lip started to quiver as he looked up at her, holding back the tears in his bright blue eyes.

"He'll be home before you know it, baby. Do you want to try and call him?" She asked him, pulling him closer to her.

Jamie rested his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes and nodding. "Yeah." He said quietly.

Haley picked up her purse off the ground, pulling her phone out of it. She found Nathan's contact, pressing the call button, turning it on speaker.

"Hey, this is Nathan. Leave a message..."

The phone immediately rang out.

Haley almost cringed as Jamie burst out into another fit of tears, tossing her phone to the side. She hugged him tightly, letting out a small sigh.

"I want him to come home." Jamie cried out, shaking his head.

She let out a deep breath, hugging him tighter, rocking gently to try and ease his loud cries. He really wasn't much of a crier, he never had been. But when he did, it hurt her, especially when she could tell he was trying to hold it back.

"Jamie, remember how excited you were to not have school for two weeks?" She said softly, looking down at him.

"How many days will he be home?" Jamie asked her, sniffling.

"I don't know, my little love. You'll have to ask him that when he gets here." She said, nodding at him.

He let out a loud sigh, looking up at her. "Why isn't he coming today?"

"I told you, Jamie. The weather is bad so the airplanes can't fly." She reminded him, brushing his hair back.

"That's stupid!" He grumbled out, climbing off of her.

"Hey there. Don't say stupid." She said, grabbing onto his hand. "James, I know you miss him. I know you do. I miss him too, but there's nothing he can do. So why don't we make some dinner, and watch movies until it's bed time, okay? Can you sit here and cuddle with me?"

Jamie sighed softly, looking over at the TV and nodding. "Yes." He mumbled. "But only if we can eat dinner in here."

Haley laughed, nodding. "Deal." She said, leaning forward and kissing all over his tear stained cheeks, standing up.

"Can I have as much apple juice as I want?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I guess I can make an exception tonight." She said, grabbing onto his hand, pulling him into the kitchen.

xxxx

Haley blinked her eyes open when she felt someone shaking her. She squinted slightly, very quickly able to recognize Nathan's face being illuminated by the TV in the dark room.

"Nathan?" She whispered, glancing down at Jamie, who's head was rested against her. "What are you doing home?"

"Shh..." Nathan whispered back, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "I'm going to take him upstairs. Will you turn off the TV and make sure the lights in the kitchen get turned off? I'll meet you up there."

Haley sent him a confused look, nodding her head and watching as he picked up Jamie carefully, taking him upstairs.

She did as he asked, along with making sure all of the doors were locked, before she hurried up the stairs. She found him sitting on Jamie's bed next to him, a small smile on his face.

She stood in the doorway for a few seconds, watching them. Jamie was going to be thrilled. She was thrilled.

"Hey." She said softly, nodding outside the room.

He stood up, brushing his fingers through his hair, walking over to her and smiling brightly at her. He grabbed onto her hand, casting one last glance to their son, before leading her down the hall to her bedroom.

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes and hugging him tightly. "What are you doing home?"

"I missed you." He responded quickly, his arms encircling her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She let out a deep breath, relaxing against him, gripping his shirt lightly. "I missed you so much, Nathan." She said, nodding her head. "How did you get home? You told me your flight didn't..."

"Take off until tomorrow, I know. About an hour after I texted you, they were talking about how the weather was supposed to be bad tomorrow, well... Actually later today, now." He chuckled, glancing over at the clock.

Haley followed his gaze to the clock, before looking up at him quickly. "It's four in the morning! What did you do?"

"Well, like I said, the weather is supposed to be bad, and they were talking about maybe having the push the flight even further." He said, rubbing his hands up an down her arms. "So I was kind of like... Well, screw that." He laughed, looking around. "So I rented a car."

She looked up at him, resting her hand on his cheek. "You rented a car? Nathan, that's like a twelve hour drive." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"I know, I would've been home sooner but I took an hour nap around midnight." He said, hugging her tightly to him again.

"You're crazy, Nathan. A twelve hour drive by yourself?" She asked him, squeezing her eyes shut, holding onto him. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

"I'm just glad I'm here." He said, resting his chin on her head, rubbing her back. "I missed you so much."

"Oh, you have no idea how much I missed you." She responded, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head, looking down at her. "I love you, Hales." He said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I love you." She repeated back to him, standing on her toes and kissing him.

He smiled slightly, resting one hand on her cheek, the other pulling her closer to him.

"I can't believe you drove for twelve hours just to get home, Nathan." She said softly, looking up at him. "You love us so much, don't you?"

"Of course I do." He said, letting out a deep breath, sitting on the bed.

She rested her hands on his shoulders, kissing his forehead. "I feel so spoiled when you're here." She said softly, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I wish you would've told me."

"What, and have you call me every half an hour to make sure I'm okay?" He asked her, shaking his head. "Not a chance."

"I wouldn't have called you every half hour..." She trailed off, smiling at him.

"Okay, my flight couldn't take off because of weather. If you found out I was driving... You'd want to be on the phone with me the whole entire time." He said, shaking his head.

"Okay, maybe you're a little right." She said, resting her chin on his head briefly, before sitting next to him. "I'm so glad you made it here safely."

He nodded at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, hugging her into his side. "It's already worth it. The second I walked through the front door, the long drive was worth it."

"You're so sweet." She said softly, leaning into him. "Jamie is going to be so excited. He had a little meltdown earlier."

"I felt like having a meltdown. I was ready to start yelling, but I realized that there was nothing I could do." He said, pushing his hand through his hair. "I felt so horrible, Hales. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault at all, baby." She said, resting her hand in his cheek, turning his face to hers, kissing him briefly. "I'm so glad that you're here, Nathan."

"Me too." He responded, sighing softly.

"I can't believe you did this for us, Nathan." She said quietly.

He laughed, "Surely to not that big of a shock, Haley. I would move mountains for you." He informed her, winking at her.

She smiled at him, kissing him once more. "I love you, Nathan Scott. You take good care of me."

"Hey, you take even better care of me." He said, grinning at her. He rested his hand on her leg, giving her knee a light squeeze. "Is it okay if I go to bed?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah. Of course. I'm sorry for keeping you awake." She said quickly, standing up.

He smiled at her, standing up. He walked over to her dresser, pulling some of his clothes out.

It wasn't long before they'd both gotten ready for bed, cuddled up next to each other.

Haley brushed her fingers up and down his torso soothingly, her palm flattening over his smooth skin, tracing the muscles in his stomach occasionally.

"Keep doing that, forever." He said softly, keeping his eyes shut. "This is what I need. Every night. I could fall asleep easily with you doing this."

She smiled, kissing his cheek lightly. "I'm glad." She whispered, biting her lip.

"I was so devastated, Haley. Being away from you and Jamie, especially this last week... I don't know, it sucked ass." He groaned, shaking his head. "You make everything better."

"Right back at you." She said quietly. "I was telling Brooke earlier how I just feel better when you're here. You make me feel safe, and wanted." She said, closing her eyes.

"You are safe." He said softly, "And you're not only wanted, Haley James. You're needed."

"Good." She responded, "You make me feel happy, Nathan. So, so happy." She said, trailing her pointer finger down the center of his chest. "I'm in love with you."

"Me too." He said, smiling at her, opening his eyes and looking down at her. "I want you, and only you."

"I'm all yours." She said softly, nodding up at him. "Always and forever."

He laughed, hugging her close to him. "Always and forever." He repeated back to her.

"Jamie is going to be so happy tomorrow." She said, letting out a deep breath. "So, so happy."

"I'm so happy right now, and I'll continuing being so happy until I leave Sunday night." He said, pulling her closer.

She lifted up her head, kissing him softly. "You're the best."

He smiled, looking down at her. "You know, I don't know if I'm very tired anymore." He said, winking at her.

"Stop it." She said, swatting at his chest. "You've been driving for twelve hours."

"I know. But I also know that I can drink coffee in the morning and be good as new." He said, smirking down at her.

"Nathan, are you serious?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and lifting up her head.

"Yeah, I'm serious. Come on, Jamie will probably wake up around eight, and then we won't have a second together until tomorrow night." He said, nodding at her. "You can't resist all this, Haley James. You know it, I know it."

She sat up, looking down at him. "Okay." She said, nodding. "That sounds reasonable." She hummed, straddling his waist quickly. "Don't you dare fall asleep."

"It was one time." He joked, holding up his hands defensively. "And I was barely asleep."

"You're so funny." She said, intertwining their fingers, holding his hands next to his head.

"You know I could never fall asleep on you, babe." He said, smirking up at her.

"Yeah, I know." She hummed, leaning down, kissing him quickly.

xxxx

Haley smoothed her hand over Nathan's chest lightly, her head propped up by her elbow as she watched him sleep.

She couldn't believe the amount of love he had for her and their son. She couldn't believe that she actually felt how much he loved them, what he would do for them. She couldn't believe how much she loved him back.

He was so selfless. So caring. Even after driving in a cramped car for twelve hours, getting one hour of sleep, he still came home and showed her he loved her and appreciated her. He took the time to appreciate every part of her. And she knew that once he woke up, he'd tell her how much he loved her a million times throughout the day. She felt so giddy to be laying next to him, watching him rest.

She gently pushed his hair off his forehead, leaning down and pressing a delicate kiss there, before going back to stroking her fingernails up his chest. She laughed quietly as he shifted onto his own side, before pushing her onto her back, maneuvering himself between her legs, his head resting against her chest, one arm moving to tap his own back lightly.

She rolled her eyes, understanding immediately that he wanted her to continue tickling her fingers over his back, rather than his front. She smiled slightly, giving into his demands, lightly scratching her nails over his back, closing her eyes once again, one hand moving into his hair, cradling his head close to her, letting out a deep breath as he relaxed against her.

They laid there together for a few minutes, Haley lightly stroking Nathan's back while she listened to him breathe, her lips grazing her skin every once and awhile.

It wasn't until there was a jiggling on the locked door handle, followed by knocking that Nathan shot out of bed. He held his finger to his lips, quickly grabbing his pajamas and pulling them on, tossing her pajamas as her.

"Just a second, Jamie." Haley called out, getting herself dressed as well, pushing Nathan's gym bag into the closet, letting out a deep breath.

"It snowed!" Jamie called to her in an excited voice.

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking at Nathan, who shrugged and flipped his shirt around his shoulders quickly after he'd put it on backwards. She walked over to the window, looking back at Nathan and shaking her head. The grass was just frost tipped. It was supposed to be a little colder, but not cold enough to snow.

She walked over to Nathan, pressing a brief, silent kiss to his mouth, moving to make him stand where the door would be blocking him once she opened it.

Nathan smiled brightly at her, nodding his head and winking.

Haley blushed lightly, before pulling the door open. "I hate to break it to you, buddy. But it didn't snow." She informed him, ruffling his hair.

"I want snow on Christmas. I never get snow on Christmas." He groaned, shaking his head. "What's for breakfast?"

"You watch that tone, mister, or you'll be making your own breakfast." She said, tapping his nose. "Will you go grab me my book off the nightstand?"

Jamie raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I want it, Jamie." She said, shaking her head.

"But do you need it?" He complained, looking up at her.

"Dude, watch the attitude and go get my book." Haley laughed, tapping the top of his head and nodding.

Jamie headed over to the nightstand, picking it up slowly.

Nathan jumped out from behind the door, scooping him up. "It's a Christmas miracle!" He shouted to his son, hugging him tightly.

Jamie jumped, his eyes wide as he stared up as his father, registering what was happening to him. "You're home!"

"You bet I am." Nathan said, looking over at Haley and smiling. "And we're going to make the most of it, Jimmy Jam. I brought a couple of presents that you can open early."

"You did?" Jamie asked him, hugging him tightly, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Of course I did." Nathan responded, taking the book from him and tossing it into the bed. "There will be no reading while I'm here. That's my rule."

"Mama is going to be mad!" Jamie laughed, shaking his head an looking over at her. "You tricked me!"

"He surprised me too, Jamie." Haley hummed, stepping forward, resting her head against Nathan's shoulder, flattening out Jamie's hair. "Are you happy?"

"Yes!" Jamie hummed, reaching over and wrapping one arm around Haley, keeping his grip on Nathan still. "Thank you!"

Nathan held onto Jamie tightly, letting out a deep breath. "It feels so good to be home with you two."

Haley smiled up at him, rubbing her hand down his arm lightly. "What do you say we go get some breakfast?"

"Great, I'm starving." Nathan said, winking at her. "I'll start making some coffee too."

"Can I have some coffee?" Jamie asked him, looking up at him.

Nathan laughed, shifting Jamie so he was hanging over his shoulder. "No way, kid. You're crazy enough." He laughed, heading out of the room quickly.

xxxx

Haley bit down on her bottom lip as she watched Nathan play basketball with Jamie. It seemed like neither of them could ever get enough of basketball, or of each other. In some ways, she envied the relationship that Nathan and Jamie had, because of how easily it was for them to fall into a groove with each other, and how Jamie wanted Nathan to be with him at all times. But that feeling was quickly pushed aside by the swell in her heart of watching the two most important people in her life having fun together. Her and Jamie had a great relationship too. Really, they'd gotten lucky with a kid as good as Jamie.

"Hales, come play." Nathan called out to her, shedding his jacket off of his shoulders and nodding at her.

"No. No way." Haley argued, laughing and tapping the steel bleachers beneath her. "I'm good right here."

"Mama, come on!" Jamie said, smiling at her.

She shifted her gaze to her son, feeling so relieved to see him happy and smiling again after a slightly more difficult week.

She stood up to her feet, letting out and exaggerated sigh. "Okay, fine."

Nathan bumped his fist against Jamie's, grinning over at her. "Okay, Jimmy Jam. Take the first shot." He said, walking over to Haley, draping his arm around her shoulders.

Haley reached her arm around his waist, brushing her fingers underneath his shirt, rubbing along the silky waistband of his basketball shorts, humming softly.

"What are we playing?" She asked, looking over at Jamie.

"HORSE. You know how to play?" Jamie hummed to her, raising his eyebrows up at her.

"Of course." She said, nodding at him. "Let's see your shot."

Jamie stood to the side of the basket a little bit, shooting it up and watching it go in.

"I'm up next." Nathan said, shooting it in with ease, looking at Haley.

Haley sighed, stepping forward, taking the ball. She rolled her eyes when she felt Nathan behind her, looking over her shoulder at him. "I know that I can make this shot, Nathan. I don't need help."

"Let's see it then." Nathan said, rubbing her covered arms briefly to warm her up a little, giving her a light smack on the butt, before taking a step back.

Haley shot up the ball a little awkwardly, watching it bounce into the hoop. She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha!"

Nathan laughed, nodding at her. "You're a pro, Haley James."

"I told you I was." Haley said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

He nodded his head, winking at her. "Okay, Jame. You're up again." He said, holding out the ball.

Jamie shot again, watching it roll around the rim and fall to the side.

"Darn it!" Jamie said, shaking his head. "It's your turn, Daddy."

Nathan quickly grabbed the ball, rushing up to the basket and dunking it with ease.

"No! It's against the rules to dunk!" Jamie argued, crossing his arms.

"Not in my book." Nathan told him, smirking slightly.

"Yes!" He sighed, shaking his head. "You have to help me."

"I will." Nathan said, handing him the ball.

"It's mom's turn." Jamie said, frowning slightly.

"I'm going to have to take a letter on that one." Haley said, crossing her arms.

"You go first, Jamie." Nathan chuckled, picking him up and holding him high above his shoulders.

"Nathan," Haley warned, shaking her head. "Be careful."

"Done it plenty of times, Hales." Nathan hummed, looking up as Jamie dunked it, grinning at him. "Okay, baby. You're up." He said, looking over at her.

"I can't even jump high enough to touch the net, Nathan. It's not a fair shot." She argued, crossing her arms.

"Get on my shoulders." Nathan told her, stepping over to her, tapping his shoulder.

"What? You're crazy." She laughed, rolling her eyes and taking a step back.

"It's fun!" Jamie called out from the background, giving her a thumbs up.

"For you! I don't want to hurt him." She argued with him, shaking her head at Nathan.

"You won't, Hales. Just trust me." Nathan told her, kneeling down. "Come on, just do it."

Haley bit her lip, sighing and looking down at him. "Don't drop me, and if it gets too hard just out me down."

"Oh, it's already-" He began quietly, his voice low.

"If it gets too difficult, put me down." She corrected herself, smacking the back of his head lightly. She moved so she was standing behind him, carefully putting her legs over his shoulders.

Jamie handed her the basketball, giggling quietly. "Good luck."

Nathan locked his arms around her legs, standing up to his feet carefully, clearing his throat. "Easy." He told her, glancing upwards.

"Haha, very funny." She said, her hands gripping the basketball tightly. "Please be careful."

"Haley, come on. Trust me, I'd never put you in any type of danger." He laughed, walking over to the basket carefully. "Just raise your hands and dunk it."

Haley did as he asked, watching the ball fall to the blacktop. "Okay, now put me down. Right now." She laughed, ruffling Nathan's hair. She let out a sigh of relief when he helped her down onto the ground.

"That was fun." He told her, grinning at her. "What was it like, living at a higher altitude?"

"Eh, I think I like being short," She told him, looking over at Jamie, shaking her head.

"Put me on Mom's shoulders, and her on yours." Jamie suggested, grinning up at them.

"I don't know about that, buddy. Maybe we could try it in the pool," Nathan chuckled, resting his hand on Haley's back. "Alright, my turn again." He hummed, grabbing the ball, stepping to the free throw like and shooting again, watching it go in with ease.

"Okay, Jamie. I think we should kick him out of this game. He's not going to miss." She joked, rolling her eyes as Nathan retrieved the ball, holding it out to her.

"He misses all the time." Jamie said, shrugging his shoulders.

Nathan laughed, looking over at him and shaking his head. "Quiet, you."

"If I win, you have to stay." Jamie told him, grabbing onto his arm and looking up at him.

Nathan quickly looked up at Haley, frowning slightly and ruffling Jamie's hair. "No can do, Jame. We talked about this."

"I know. I just wanted to try." Jamie sighed, watching Haley as she stepped up to the free throw line.

"If I make this shot, you both owe me one favor," She hummed, looking over at them.

"Deal." Nathan responded quickly, nudging Jamie. "She won't make it, Jamie. I tried so hard to teach her." He told him, trying to cheer him up a little.

Haley looked up at the basket, getting into an awkward stance and shooting it, cheering as it bounced off the backboard and fell through the net, clapping her hands. "Would you look at that?"

"No way, you stepped!" Nathan said, pointing at her feet, which were a little past the free throw line.

"Cry me a river, Scott. I made it, that'll be one favor each," Haley hummed, looking over at them. "You're lucky I didn't raise the stakes."

"Jamie! There's no way that's fair, right?" Nathan asked, looking down at his son.

"Jamie," Haley said, looking at him. "It's fair, isn't it?"

Jamie tugged on Nathan's arm until he was crouched down to his height.

"Dad, she's not going to make very many shots." He whispered to him, glancing over at Haley.

Nathan fake pouted, nodding his head. "Okay, you're right." He looked over at Haley, "It's fair."

"Yes!" Haley cheered, walking over and kissing Jamie's head, "Thanks for batting for me, baby."

"You're welcome!" Jamie hummed, running and getting the ball, stepping up to the free throw line.

"You're lucky," Nathan hummed to Haley, wrapping his arm around her from behind as he watched Jamie prepare to shoot.

"I know," She responded, looking up at him and smiling. "Don't let him get to you, okay? He's going to be so thrilled watching you play tomorrow." She whispered to him, gently brushing her fingertips over his arm.

"I know. I'm okay, really. I've had plenty of time to prepare myself." He informed her, kissing the back of her head, before letting go of her, smiling and rushing over when Jamie made the shot. "Good job, Jamie! Looks like I need to start picking harder shots."

He grabbed the ball, stepping behind the three point line, shooting it. He watched it bounce of the rim and fall to the blacktop in defeat, shaking his head. "On second thought, maybe not. You're up, Haley James."

xxxx

"Hey James, I'm ready to cash in on that favor you owe me." Haley called out to him, gesturing to the table. "Clear the table, no complaining. Just put them on the counter."

Jamie let out a sigh, shaking his head and beginning to do as she asked, looking over at Nathan.

"Let me guess, my favor is to wash them," Nathan chuckled, smiling over at her.

"No, I already know what I want from you," She hummed out quietly, brushing her tongue over her bottom lip. "You're just going to wash them out of the goodness of your heart and because you love me."

"You're right." He responded, smirking and standing up. He leaned down, kissing her softly. "I do love you, angel."

Haley smiled up at him, nodding her head. "I love you too," She told him, letting out a deep breath, looking over her shoulder as she watched Nathan step into the kitchen after Jamie, beginning to wash the dishes in the sink.

She stood up after a moment, walking out of the room. It wasn't long until she returned, holding her hands behind her back, "Okay, Jamie. You're free to go take a bath."

"Do I have to?" Jamie asked her, frowning up at her.

"Yes sir," Haley said, nodding towards the stairs. "Go on. I'll be up in a minute to run your bath water."

Jamie sighed, looking up at Nathan, before turning and waking up the stairs.

"What do you have?" Nathan asked her curiously, tucking the plates into the dishwasher.

"Come sit back down, hm?" Haley suggested, raising her eyebrows at him and grinning.

He chuckled, finishing up putting the dishes into the dishwasher, before moving to sit back down at the table.

"Finishing up doing the dishes, a man after my own heart," She laughed, nodding at him. "Close your eyes."

"Haley James, what are you doing?" He laughed, shutting his eyes and leaning back against the chair.

She straddled his lap quickly, setting the item hidden behind her back on his head. "Open."

He glanced up to see mistletoe hanging in front of his face, "You found my hat," He chuckled, smirking up at her.

"I did, it wasn't that hard to find. It's in the top drawer of your dresser at all times," She hummed, brushing her hand over his shoulder.

"Right where it belongs, easy access," He hummed, smirking at her.

She laughed, winding both her arms around his neck, leaning down and kissing him quickly.

Nathan hummed, his hands resting on her hips, pulling her closer to him. His fingers pulled up her shirt a little bit, brushing over her warm skin.

She kissed him with everything in her, pushing his back against the chair, moving against him gently, sucking and biting at his lips. After a moment, she pulled back, before moving to kiss along his neck.

"You know what I want from you tonight, Nathan?" She hummed against his skin, sucking on his pulse point lightly.

Nathan could barely hear her, his head tilted back, eyes glazed over. He had no sense of awareness, all he knew was that his girl was basically about to give him a lap dance in their kitchen, and that he was pretty close to losing control.

"Nathan." She pushed out, gently biting down on the crook of his neck, gripping his shirt tighter in her hands.

"Hm?" He mumbled out, squeezing his eyes shut, hooking his finger into the waistband of her jeans.

"I want you, to come at me hard tonight," She whispered in his ear, biting down on his earlobe lightly. "I don't want to be able to walk in the morning. I want the scratch marks, the bite marks. I want to smother myself with a pillow so I won't scream your name. That's what your favor to me can be."

Nathan groaned, leaning forward to kiss her again, before she raised her hand to stop him.

"Agree, Nathan," She demanded, running her fingers through his hair.

"Yes," He said quickly, "You're the boss."

She smirked slightly, leaning down and kissing him very briefly. "Good, because I have a little present for you upstairs that you can unwrap tonight."

He nodded, his head spinning lightly at her words. It didn't take her long to have him begging for me. It never did.

"I want you," He told her, fingertips digging into her hips lightly.

"I know," She hummed, kissing him once more, brushing her thumbs over his cheek. "Better have another cup of coffee, Scott. I plan on keeping you up awhile."

He moaned, leaning forward and kissing her again. "Shit, Haley. This is not fair."

She laughed, moving to stand up, before he pulled her back down. "Hey, hey. This is my game. Like you said, I'm the boss tonight," She hummed, winking at him and tapping his nose.

Nathan felt his mouth run dry, his eyes squeezing shut. "We haven't even done anything yet and I already know I'm going to last four seconds." He groaned, tensing up when he felt her move against him once more.

She laughed, brushing her lips over his forehead, "I'm going to have fun with you tonight, baby." She told him, standing up slowly.

"You're a dirty birdy, Haley James... Jumping me in my own kitchen," He said, standing up and letting out a deep breath.

"Mhm," She hummed, standing on her toes, kissing him once more.

Nathan's hands gently stroked up her sides, pulling her in close to him.

"Mama! I'm ready!" Jamie yelled from upstairs.

"That's my cue," Haley laughed, parting from him and smiling slightly.

"He's five, he can run his own bath water," Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"He makes it too hot, and I don't like it. I don't want him to get burned," She said simply.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower now too, and trust me, it definitely won't be too hot," He told her, winking at her.

Haley laughed, her eyes looking him up and down, nodding. "Yeah, you better." She teased, rushing out of the room and up the stairs to their son's aide.

xxxx

Nathan collapsed down on top of her, leaving light kisses on the center of her chest, before falling on the bed next to her.

"Wow," He said, trying to catch his breath, resting his hand on his stomach and glancing over at the time. Just after two.

"Four hours, Haley." He laughed, looking over at her and smiling, grabbing her hand and kissing it lightly.

Haley smiled at him, leaning over, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, flattening out his hair.

He looked up at her, mentally going through her list in his head. He looked down at his chest, definitely scratch marks there, and there were some identical on his back. Check. Lips red and swollen, check. His eyes moved to her once more, gaze narrowing in on her shoulder, sucking in a deep breath, tracing his fingers over spot where he'd bit down on her skin to avoid being too loud.

"Sorry," He chuckled, looking up at her and winking.

She laughed, brushing her fingers over a similar mark on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it." She said, leaning forward and kissing his head. "That was so amazing." She whispered in his ear.

"We went hard for four hours, Haley. Hard," He laughed, looking up at her. "After getting almost no sleep last night, I'm pretty impressed I was able to perform for you every time."

She laughed, smacking his chest lightly, kissing him once more. "I had no doubts," She purred to him.

"Best sex ever. Best Christmas ever," He groaned, looking at her and letting out a deep breath. "You're the best."

"Mm, I thought I would give you an early present," She said, tapping her fingers on his stomach.

"Best present I've ever gotten," He hummed out, grinning up at her. "Don't let me take charge ever again. Just boss me around, I'm okay with it."

She laughed, brushing her fingers over his stomach. "Well, I think you gave me a hickey on every part of my body that's not visible."

"You gave me plenty. I don't even care what my jersey covers or doesn't cover." He hummed, looking at her and letting out a deep breath. "Wow, you're a goddess."

She smiled at his words, leaning down and kissing him once more, letting her thumb lightly brush over her skin.

"I have something else for you," She told him, grabbing her phone and searching through his briefly.

"I have stuff for you too, Haley, I swear. I was just going to leave them in various parts of your house so you could find them and think of me," He assured her, nodding his head.

Haley laughed, holding out her phone, to him, gently pushing her hand through his hair.

He looked down, raising his eyebrows and looking up at her, "Are these-"

"Plane tickets. I hope you don't mind, but I just can't imagine spending the holidays without you, especially after everything you've done for us this weekend." She said softly, looking down at him.

Nathan sat up slowly, looking at her. "Don't mind? Haley... This is all I wanted." He said softly, letting out a breath of relief, leaning over and kissing her deeply.

Haley smiled, kissing him back for a moment before pulling away. "If it's all you wanted, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you like staying home for the holidays," He told her, brushing his fingers through her hair.

"I've been going back and forth for weeks, and I finally decided today that we should spend it together, Nathan. I don't want to be away from you, and I know Jamie doesn't want to either." She said quietly, smiling at him.

"Is it okay if I make you feel a little more loved this time instead of throw you up against a wall and make out with you?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and winking at her.

"I think I can handle that," She hummed, brushing her thumb over his cheek.

"Good." He said, letting out a deep breath. "I love you so much, Haley James. Whatever life throws at us, I'm with you."

She smiled at him, pulling him closer to her, nodding her head.

"I love you too, baby."


	31. Chapter 31

**This chapter is a little bit on the shorter side.**

 **Chapter 31**

"And I just freaked out a her, Nathan. Like it wasn't a little freak out, it was big. I don't know what's wrong with me..." Haley trailed off, shaking her head and sitting down on the end of the bed, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"Well..." Nathan trailed off, clearing his throat and looking at the phone. They'd been talking for about four minutes now, and she'd started venting as soon as he picked up the phone.

"I know, I'm being the worst. She didn't even do anything that bad. Well, it was kind of bad," Haley groaned into the phone running her fingers through her hair.

"So... I know we're talking about Taylor, but I still don't exactly understand what she did..." Nathan chuckled, sitting down in his chair and sighing softly, looking over at Clay.

"She taught our son about sex! But she explained it to him completely and horribly wrong. What the hell is a matter with her, right? He's five years old, I mean... Honestly..." She let out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes.

"Well, how did she explain it to him?" Nathan questioned her, laughing quietly.

"It's not funny, Nathan. He asked her a question, and she made it sound horrible. She told him that babies start as little demons that fly up into your nose and live in your brain, and the reason women get bigger when they're pregnant, is because the demons are making their stomach grow until point of explosion and that's how the baby gets there!" Haley said, shaking her head and letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know how to undo that one."

Nathan burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Hey, then we won't have to explain it to him. It's more or less true." He hummed, picturing her annoyed expression.

"You aren't as funny as you think you are. He literally is glued to my side. He won't sleep anywhere but in the bed with me. I convinced him to go to a friend's house today, but that was difficult for him to do." Haley let out a frustrated groan, falling back on the bed. "You're just lucky you don't have to be here, Nathan. Because I have no idea what to do. This is my own damn fault, you know? Never let Jamie talk on the phone with Taylor with no adult supervision. I know that."

"Breathe, Hales. It's not your fault," He laughed, rolling his eyes. "What did you tell him when he told you that?"

"I told him it wasn't true, but he was freaking out. I don't even know if he heard me," Haley shook her head, "It's not funny, Nathan."

"I know, Haley," Nathan chuckled, smirking slightly. "Tell him Aunt Taylor is crazy. He shouldn't believe anything she says."

"Why the hell is our kid trying to figure out what sex is?" Haley grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Why the hell is my sister so insane?"

"Breathe, Hales. Come on, it's going to be okay," Nathan assured her, shrugging his shoulders, holding up a finger to Clay.

"You know what? I don't even feel bad for going off on her. She deserved it. Jamie is terrified, and wants to sleep with a covers over his head so no demons will fly into his nose and make him explode," She groaned, rolling her eyes.

"What brought this on?" Nathan questioned her, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, I don't know..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I was on the phone with Taylor, and he kept trying to talk to me, and I kept asking him to hold on for one minute. And then he finally got my attention, and asked if he was ever going to have another sibling. And it seemed like right then, the door bell rang, so I told him to talk to Taylor. I came back to a scared little boy and no sister on the phone."

"Yikes," Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "Good luck, Hales. I'm not sure I'll be much help to you when I get home tomorrow night."

"I knew you were going to say that," Haley let out a loud, annoyed sigh. "Whatever. It's fine, I'll figure it out."

"I love you," He attempted, smiling slightly.

"You too." She responded, looking at the comforter she was laying on. "So... What are you wearing?" She teased him, grinning slightly.

"Believe it or not, a towel," He informed her, smirking slightly.

"Hot. Rainstorm Body Spray?" Haley questioned him, laughing.

"Yep. I actually have to go, I've been putting them off for a few minutes while I had this super fun conversation with you. Call you later?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You've got it. I'll try not to think about how Alex Dupre is putting her hands all over my good smelling man," She teased him, smiling slightly.

"Probably best that you don't." He laughed, letting out a deep breath. "I love you, baby. I'll call you in a little bit."

"Love you too, Nathan. Have fun." She told him, before hanging up the phone, staring up at the ceiling.

xxxx

"Can you guys believe she did that?" Haley asked, taking a long drink of the glass of wine in her hand, letting out a deep breath and sighing.

"Yes, Nathan called me and warned me you would be a wreck," Lucas chuckled, grabbing her fist as she reached over to punch him. "He also said to make sure you don't go crazy on the drinking tonight."

"Lucas, hush." Brooke hummed, reaching her hand forward and resting her hand on Haley's wrist. "Drink as much as you want, Haley James."

"I'm not going to get drunk," Haley laughed, shaking her head and sighing softly. "Quinn is coming back into town tomorrow morning and I have to pick her up from the airport."

"Where's your little guy tonight?" Peyton asked her, raising her eyebrows and smiling.

"He was having so much fun that he asked if he could spend the night. Thankfully." She laughed, sighing and leaning back in her chair. "Where's Jenny?"

"My dad is in town and he wanted to spend some time with her," Peyton responded, linking her arm through Jake's and nodding her head.

"That's sweet," Haley hummed, smiling slightly, tapping her fingers on the table.

"So..." Jake said, glancing around the table. "Season is almost over."

"I know. Ugh, I just wish that the Hornets would lose their next two games so Nathan can come home already. Don't tell him I told you that, of course," She responded, shaking her head and smiling. "I'm just kidding, though."

"They're going to win the Finals. I can feel it," Lucas said, grinning for his brother.

"I hope so. He wants it so badly," Haley hummed, nodding her head. "I'm going to go to every game in the Finals, if you guys are interested in going. I've only gone to a few in the playoffs so far, and I just want to be there with him."

"Damn, at the end of the school year?" Brooke asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"I know, I'm going to need to take some days off if the games are away, and if they're home then I'm going to need to load up on coffee," Haley hummed, shrugging her shoulders.

"What are you going to do with Jamie?" Lucas asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Take him with me," She said, nodding. "He hasn't missed that much school. He'll be alright. After all, his mom is a teacher so anything he needs help with, I can help him."

"Well, I want to try to go," Lucas said, nodding his head and clearing his throat.

Haley smiled as everyone else at the table agreed, letting out a deep breath. "Alright, I'll let him know." She hummed, leaning back and looking around the club.

She must've been looking away as everyone else at the table exchanged a look with one another.

"So..." Brooke began, clearing her throat. "What did you think of the question Jamie asked you?"

"He asks me a lot of questions, you're going to have to be a little more specific," Haley laughed, smiling at her friend.

"About if he's going to have another sibling." Brooke said, nodding her head slowly.

"Oh..." Haley began, rubbing her neck and shrugging lightly. "Yeah. I don't know, I guess."

"Well, have you guys talked about it?" Peyton chimed in, raising her eyebrows at Haley.

"No, no. Not really... Not at all, actually," She informed the group against her better judgement. This definitely should be a conversation between her and Nathan, not her and their four nosy friends.

"What do you think?" Brooke asked her, leaning forward slightly and raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know. Now is definitely not the time to have another kid, that's for sure." Haley informed her, letting out a deep breath and looking down at the glass on the table.

"Yeah, but what do you think? Do you want to have more kids? Do you want them with Nathan?" Brooke pried, glancing over at Lucas.

"Yeah, I mean... Of course. I love being a mom, and I definitely would like to have more kids. It's just..." Haley trailed off, sighing softly.

"Just?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows. "Just what?"

"I just... I would rather be married if I'm going to have another baby," Haley said quietly, looking around the table at their friends.

She frowned slightly at the look on all their faces. She wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't the look of dread they all had.

"Oh." Lucas spoke first, clearing his throat. "You want to get married?"

"I've always wanted to get married, Lucas," Haley said, nodding. "What's wrong? Why do you all have the same look?"

"Well..." Brooke looked over at Lucas, them at Peyton.

"I was talking to Nathan last week, asking him a little bit about you two..." Lucas said, shifting slightly and clearing his throat. "I asked him if he had any plans, y'know."

Haley raised her eyebrows, leaning forward slightly. "Okay..."

"Haley, I'm sorry..." Lucas sighed, looking over at the other people at the table. "Nathan doesn't want to get married. He told me that he likes the way things are, and when you two were engaged years ago, that's when things went downhill, and he thinks that the best option would be you two never getting married."

Haley could tell everyone at the table was holding their breath as they waited for her response.

Her head was swimming a little bit. Nathan didn't want to marry her? Her sweet boy, had told his brother that he never wanted to get married? No... That couldn't be right.

"Haley, I'm so sorry," Peyton spoke first, letting out a deep breath. "He told me the same thing."

"Oh, so this is something that he's telling people openly? Okay." Haley said, clearing her throat. "Alright, well... What can you do, right?" She said, shaking her head. "You know what? I'm young, I don't have a kid at home. I might as well drink a little more, right?"

"Haley..." Brooke trailed off, frowning at her.

"You guys want anything? No? Okay. I'll be back." Haley said quickly, standing up and walking to the bar.

xxxx

Nathan tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his brother to pick up his damn phone already. He glanced at the clock, letting out a deep breath. They should definitely be home by now.

"Hello?" Lucas answered the phone.

Nathan grinned slightly, letting out a deep breath. "How'd it go?" He asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, it was a lot of fun, man. You missed out on a great night." Lucas chuckled, turning the phone on speaker so that Brooke could hear.

"I don't care about your night, Luke. Did she buy it?" He asked his brother quickly, letting out a deep breath.

"Every word," Brooke jumped into the conversation, grinning slightly.

"How'd she take it?" Nathan asked them, his knees bouncing up and down.

"Not super well. Expect a little hostility when you get home," Lucas informed him, smiling brightly.

"I love her so much, you guys," Nathan responded, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you for helping me. Tell Peyton and Jake too."

"Of course, Nate." Lucas responded, letting out a deep breath. "Good game tonight."

"Thanks man. I know you probably wanted to watch, but I appreciate the help. I'll talk to you guys later." Nathan told them, hanging up the phone quickly.

He looked down at the small, black velvet box in his hands, flipping it open and letting out a deep breath.

He just had to make it through these next couple of weeks, and then everything would be perfect.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Nathan fell to the ground as another body of a Lakers player pummeled into his body. The familiar ringing of the shot clock running out, his gaze on the hoop as he watched the ball sail in, followed by loud screams and cheers.

Those three points had put the Hornets one point ahead, resulting in them winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Roars filled the arena, as multiple of his teammates rushed over to him, pulling him up to his feet and cheering along with the crowd.

He cheered loudly, letting out a relieved sigh. Almost instantly his eyes met Haley's in the crowd, tapping his fist on his heart, and pointing at her, before his focus landed back on his teammates.

Winning wasn't everything, but it sure felt damn good to win.

His ears were ringing by how loud it was in the arena, hugs and highfives traveled around to every person on the court, regardless of which team they were on.

It wasn't until they let the players' families onto the court that he really let it hit him.

The first person to run up to him had been Jamie, and he picked him up so quickly, hugging him as tightly as he possibly could without hurting the boy. The proud feeling that overwhelmed him was a great one. His son watching him achieve his dreams was special.

When he met Haley, he lost his control on himself. The tears that had been brimming in his eyes finally spilled over.

She grabbed his face, kissing him briefly, her forehead landing on his. "You did it, baby." She whispered to him.

Amongst the noise, he still heard her. Loud and clear. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her neck.

She could feel his hot tears on her skin, her hand moving up to grip the back of his head, threading her fingers into his damp hair. She could feel her own tears running down her cheeks.

Nathan lifted his head when he felt Jamie's arms wrap around both of them, resting his hand on his head, smiling brightly.

"Thank you," Nathan said to Haley, nodding and looking down at Jamie. "Thank you." He repeated, picking him up once again.

He looked over when one of his teammates placed a championship hat on his head, his grin growing brighter. He dipped his head down, kissing Haley quickly. "I'll see you in a little bit." He said, nodding at her.

Haley nodded her head, gripping his face and smiling up at him. "I love you, Nathan." She told him, kissing him again. "You did so amazing."

He let out a deep breath, leaning down and kissing Jamie's head, hugging him tightly. He turned around and pulled Lucas into a brief hug, and then Brooke, then Clay and Quinn, and finally his mom.

"Did Dan come?" He whispered to his mom, raising his eyebrows.

"I didn't see him," Deb responded, hugging him tightly. "Good job tonight, sweetie. We'll see you in a little bit."

He nodded his head, turning to Haley and Jamie once more, rushing back over to them, picking Jamie up and wrapping his arm around Haley's shoulders. "Thank you both so much. I love you guys." He said, closing his eyes and squeezing them tightly.

"We love you too!" Jamie told him, grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up.

Nathan let out a deep breath, kissing Haley's forehead once more. "I know I already said goodbye, but now I mean it." He chuckled, rubbing her back lightly. "I'll see you all in a little bit."

Haley nodded at him, pinching his chin lightly and nodding her head. "Alright, see you soon." She repeated to him, watching him throw his arm around one of his teammates and head towards where the majority of them were crowded.

xxxx

Nathan carefully ran his fingers through Jamie's hair, a wide smile forming on his face as he stared down at him.

Upon returning home, Jamie had been completely wired. Jumping around, so excited after the eventful night.

Nathan and Haley were both right there with him, so they'd pretty much let him do whatever he wanted, and let himself calm down instead of making him go to bed.

He couldn't believe how amazing his night was. He looked down at the championship t-shirt he was still wearing, letting out a deep breath. This was perfect.

His friends there to support him, his family. They were all meeting up for breakfast the next morning before finally flying home.

He lifted the hat off his head, looking down at it and letting out another deep breath, tears brimming in his eyes again. This was amazing. He felt so overwhelmed by everything. His first dream had come true tonight. His second dream was sitting upstairs in a little box hidden underneath all his socks in his sick drawer, and if it was possible... That one made him more nervous than the first. Unfortunately, that one still had a few more weeks before it would hopefully come true.

He smiled brightly, looking up when Haley walked back down the stairs, taking a seat in his lap.

"You were... So amazing. I know I've told you, and everyone else has told you. But wow..." She trailed off, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"Thank you, Haley," He responded, nodding up at her, before glancing down at Jamie.

"Are you sure you don't want to be out celebrating? I'm sure we could get your mom to come over and watch him," She questioned him, brushing her fingers through his hair.

"No. We can celebrate another time. This is where I want to be," He told her, wrapping his arms around her, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Want to take a nice hot bath?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows, continuing to brush her fingers through his hair, trying to rid it of the line his hat had made.

He laughed, laying his head on her shoulder. "Not tonight," He said softly, smiling slightly. "You've helped me so much, Haley... Just by being here tonight."

"Shh..." She shushed him, smiling and kissing his head. "I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I'm so proud of you, Nathan."

"That's all I want," He said, nodding and lifting his head up. "I love you."

She let out a deep breath, standing up slowly. "Why don't you put the little guy to bed, and them meet me in the bedroom, hm?"

He smiled at her, nodding his head and laughing. "That sounds like an offer that I'm interested in."

"Good. I'll see you up there." She said, brushing the back of her hand over his cheek, before walking up the stairs.

Nathan chuckled quietly, picking up Jamie and heading up after her. He left Jamie in his bedroom, glancing at a picture of the two of them on his nightstand, smiling brightly. He looked at his son once more, before heading down the hall, pushing open their bedroom door.

It was lit up with candles, very faint music playing in the background. It was much cleaner than he'd left it, which was very Haley-like to clean his bedroom.

He grinned at her when she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing short, black pajama shorts, and a Hornets jersey with his number on it tied a bit so he could see just enough of her skin. He suspected that if she turned around, he'd be able to see the same numbers inked on her back.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking at her and raising his eyebrows.

"What's all this?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"It's the NBA Championship MVP treatment," She told him, stepping to him and flattening her hands over his chest, pressing a light kiss to the side of his neck.

"Oh?" He asked her, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah. And I think that happens to be you this year," She hummed, tugging on his shirt lightly. "I saw you take a couple of hard falls, so I thought we'd start with a little massage, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds perfect." He said, kissing her forehead, closing eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"That is, if you ever want to take off your shirt, you champion," She hummed, fiddling with his sleeve, smiling up at him.

"I can make an exception for you, but just this once. I'll have to put it on right after we're done," He laughed, resting his hands on her waist, brushing his thumbs over her skin.

She laughed at him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

That was one of the things she loved about her relationship with Nathan. Even in the midst of her attempts to seduce him, he was still trying to make her laugh.

She took a step forward, twining her arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to hers.

She loved him so much. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of her discussion with their friends a few weeks ago. It was hard to believe a man that loved her so dearly, had no desire to get married.

She buried the thought quickly, wanting to focus on him instead. She could worry about that a different time. Tonight was about her man achieving his dreams.

"Where'd you go?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and smiling down at her.

She shook her head, kissing him deeply, standing on her toes. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to her.

His fingers slid around her back, brushing over her tattoo there, kissing her back.

After a minute, she parted from him, nodding her head. "Shirt off, handsome." She hummed out, turning and walking towards the bed.

Nathan let his eyes fall to her tattoo, sucking in a sharp breath. He ran his fingers through his hair, lifting his shirt over his head. He followed her quickly, whipping her around, lifting her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"How about we do the massage in a little while?" He suggested, smirking at her.

She laughed, resting her hands on his shoulders, looking at him and nodding quickly. "Mm..." She responded, closing her eyes. "Whatever you want, Scott."

xxxx

Nathan closed his eyes, nuzzling his face into the pillow beneath his head, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley, you are amazing," He groaned, arching his back into her hands.

Haley smiled down at him, smoothing her hands over the strong muscles in his back. "I'm so proud of you, Nathan." She informed him, humming lightly.

"Thank you, Haley. That means a lot to me," He replied, folding his arms underneath his head.

"I'm sorry you didn't go out and celebrate..." She trailed off, rubbing her thumbs over his neck.

"Haley, I've had plenty of celebrating in my life. This is all I want to do. Be here with you, and with our son. That's the best celebrating for me," He said, chuckling quietly.

"I know, but this is your dream, baby. You should bask in it with your teammates, and your friends," She told him, brushing her fingers over his ribcage.

He shook his head, humming lightly. "I want to celebrate with my teammates for life. We're all going to breakfast tomorrow morning, that's what I wanted."

Haley smiled at him, leaning forward, resting her chin down on his shoulder, leaning her head against his. "I love you."

"I love you so much, Haley. Thank you," He responded, closing his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, before glancing over his shoulder when she lifted her head up and started kneading her hands into his back again.

"Let's always be like this, Haley."

Haley was quiet for a second, before looking down at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's not change anything. I feel perfect like this," He said, closing his eyes.

She stilled her hands on his back, shifting her gaze from the back of his head, to her hands, particularly her left hand, ring finger.

Honestly, she didn't expect them to get married tomorrow. She really had not given it much thought until she found out it was a step that he didn't want to take. Now it was constantly on her mind, weighing her down a little bit.

Even now, in such a light hearted situation. He was saying sweet things to her, but each word hurt her even worse. And she didn't want to feel this way. This was Nathan's night. The night he'd worked so hard for his whole life. She was so proud of him, her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. But there was an element of sadness that she couldn't shake.

She forced a smile onto her face, brushing her fingers through his hair, "Sounds great to me."

"Good," He responded, letting out a deep breath. "I can't believe that we did it, Haley. It feels so amazing," He told her, grinning.

Now her smile was genuine. Hearing the emotion and the excitement in his voice made her so happy.

"I can. You've worked so hard, baby. You all have," She responded, scratching her fingertips over his shoulder blades lightly.

"I know, I just didn't know it would feel this good," He let out a deep breath, pressing his face into the pillow to hide his grin.

She laughed, rubbing her hands down his arms, caressing his biceps lightly. "What's next, hm?"

"Well... I'm going to enjoy my summer with my girl and my boy, and then I'm going to bounce right back and win it again next year," He informed her, nodding his head.

"One isn't enough?" She teased him, squeezing his arms.

"I want this feeling to last forever," He said, letting out a deep breath. "I just feel so honored, Hales... To be apart of this world. I'm living my dreams, and it's hard sometimes, but look at where I am now. I just... Wow. I can't believe any of it."

"I knew you could do it, baby," She assured him, ruffling his hair. "I'm so proud of you, Nathan."

"You're the hottest person on this planet, Haley James. Being with you is the best prize out there," He told her, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath.

She laughed, smacking his back lightly. "That was cheesy, Nathan!" She scolded him, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

"I'm serious, Hales. Better than any trophy, or any title," He informed her, letting out a deep breath.

"Stop it," She laughed, smoothing her hands over his back, looking down at his strong muscles, smiling slightly.

"You've supported me so much..." He began, letting out a deep breath. "I'm not an emotional guy, you know that, but when I saw you tonight after helping bring my team to a win, it got me."

"I could tell," She hummed softly, resting her hands on his sides, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm so grateful for you. For years you've taken care of Jamie without me there, even when you didn't like me all that much, you still never complained, Hales." He said, clearing his throat.

"I've never wanted to hold you back from your dreams, Nathan," She whispered, squeezing his shoulders lightly. "Even when I didn't like you that much," She teased, grinning.

"There's the charm," He said, smirking slightly. "I know it's been hard, and I just wish there was some way I could repay you."

"You don't need to, Nathan... Luckily, we were blessed with an amazing son that is fairly easy to take care of," She hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"I'll never be able to make it up to you, Haley." He said, glancing over his shoulder. "But..." He began, clearing his throat.

"But what?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and staring down at him.

"Can you get up for just a second?" He asked her, smiling slightly when she climbed off of him. He rolled over so he was laying on his back, standing up and pushing his hand through his hair. "Where's my phone?"

"You're really leaving me in suspense, Nate," She laughed, leaning back against the headboard.

He groaned, shaking his head. "It's not supposed to be suspenseful, I just want to find my phone," He laughed, lifting up the jersey she'd been wearing prior. "Here it is." He hummed, picking it up and sitting down on the edge of the bed, tapping on the screen quickly.

"You've done a lot for us, Nathan..." She trailed off, watching him curiously.

"Quiet," He laughed, scooting up next to her once he found what he was looking for, grinning. "I'm a little nervous."

"Don't say that, you'll make me nervous," She said, linking her arm through his, squeezing his bicep lightly.

He smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you so much, Haley. And like I said, there's no way for me to repay you for everything that you've done for me, and this isn't me trying to repay you, I just want to show you how thankful I am."

"Alright..." She trailed off, glancing in the direction of his phone. "I love you too."

He held his phone out to her, smiling brightly, "You've always wanted to go to London, and I've always wanted to take you there."

Haley's eyes widened, grabbing his phone, scanning the screen quickly. "Are you serious?" She asked him quickly, looking up at him.

"I know, I probably should've asked you... But I just want to express my appreciation for you. I already talked to Brooke and Lucas, they can watch Jamie. We'll only be gone for five days." He informed her, nodding his head. "What do you think?"

"I think you're the sweetest person on earth," She said, resting her hand on his cheek and kissing him quickly.

He smiled into their kiss, resting his hand on her wrist, leaning towards her, his eyes squeezing shut.

Haley pulled back after a second, looking down at his phone again. "Nathan... I don't know if I can accept it. This is too much."

"You have to," He laughed, shaking his head, pulling her into a hug. "You've always wanted to go, Hales. Come on... I'll beg you if I have to."

She laughed, looking at him an letting out a deep breath, "Nathan..."

"Haley, just take it. You deserve it," He said, nodding at her quickly. "If it's about Jamie, then I can buy him another ticket."

"No, it's not that..." She said, biting her lip and looking at him.

"I can tell you want to go," He laughed, tilting his head down and pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. "Come with me. It's not for a few more weeks. The school year will be over, Jamie will be sick of me by that time."

"It's just so-"

"Haley, please. Come with me..." He said, kissing her jaw lightly, nuzzling his nose against her cheek.

Haley smiled brightly, looking down at his phone once again, taking it out of his hand and setting it on the nightstand next to her. Her eyes flickered back to him, brushing her hand over his chest. "Okay."

"Okay? You have to say it, Haley James," He laughed, pulling her into his lap, resting his hands on her sides.

"Okay, I'll go to London with you, Nathan Scott." She hummed to him, winding her arms around his neck.

"Yes! Finally, it took you long enough," He laughed, slipping his hands inside her tank top, digging his fingers lightly into her warm skin.

"I can't believe you!" She said, kissing him briefly, "This really is so nice of you to do, Nathan. I love you."

"You deserve it," He informed her, letting out a deep breath. "I was a little worried you were going to turn me down. I was expected more of a jump up and down reaction."

She scratched her fingernails lightly along his shoulder, kissing him deeply. "Trust me, honey. My heart skipped a beat. I just wanted to do the honorable thing and argue before giving it."

He laughed, nudging his nose against hers. "You mean the world to me. Your patience, your love... It's everything. Thank you, baby. This is one of the ways I'm going to try to make it up to you."

"I've always wanted to go here. This is where I was going to suggest we go on our honeymoon..." She said, kissing him again.

"Well now we can go all the time," He laughed, pulling her closer to him.

Haley bit down on her lip to keep the huge grin off her face, shifting up onto her knees, pressing herself up against him. She glanced over to his phone where he'd just showed her the online tickets, letting out a content sigh.

"I love you so much, Nathan..." She trailed off, resting her forehead against his.

"I love you too, Hales," He told her, letting out a deep breath. "I can't wait to explore the world with you."

"I can't believe we're going to London, I know so many great places to go, but for five days? I have to start looking for some more places to go!" She hummed, lifting her head up, beginning to move off of him.

"Hey!" He stopped her, resting his hand on her leg, making her sit back down, shaking his head. "Do that tomorrow. Let me show you something else we're going to spend time doing in London."

Haley tilted her head back when he started to kiss her neck, raising her eyebrows expectantly. "What are we going to be doing?"

He laughed, ignoring her, sucking on her skin lightly.

"Oh, right. Sex. Okay," She laughed, closing her eyes, resting her hand on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her, kissing down her collarbone slowly, brushing his fingertips up her leg.

After a moment, he lifted his head up and looked at her.

"You really want to look up information about London, don't you?"

She sent him a sheepish smile, laughing quietly. "I really do."

He kissed her once more, nodding his head, "Alright, let me grab my laptop."

"Wait, we can-"

"I'm not going to risk you faking it because you're thinking about which clothes you should bring with you," He laughed, moving her off of me.

"Nathan, it's your night," She argued, "Your dreams came true. Let me treat you."

He shook his head, grabbing his laptop off the chair in the corner, moving back to the bed and sitting down next to her. "We can have sex after we do your research. I know how me saying facts out loud turns you on, so I'll try to find some good stuff."

Haley laughed, resting her head on his shoulder and looking down at the screen, cuddling up next to him. She lightly brushed her foot up and down his leg, smiling.

"Well, aren't you the man of my dreams, Mr. MVP?"

"I sure hope so."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"Everything we know about Nathan Scott's girlfriend..."

Brooke grinned, flipping through the magazine in her hands, glancing over at Haley.

"Oh, a must read!" Peyton said, stepping over to Brooke's side, looking over her shoulder.

"Put the magazine back. I knew you two were going to distract me. You promised you'd help me, but here you are..." Haley laughed, leaning on her shopping cart.

"Number eight, her name is Haley James," Peyton read, nodding her head. "So far, so good."

"Spelled right and everything?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

Peyton nodded her head, glancing back down at the magazine.

"Number seven: they have a son together," Peyton read out loud, looking at the smaller letters below it. "His name is James Scott, and he's five years old."

"Oh! Look at this one!" Brooke hummed, pointing to a picture of both her and Haley. "Number six, she's best friends with Brooke Davis. It appears that the friendship dates back to high school. She is also best friends with Nathan's brother and Brooke's husband, Lucas."

Haley sighed, shaking her head and looking down at the magazine, "I don't understand why the article is written."

"You're hot gossip now, Hales!" Peyton laughed, wrapping he arm around Haley's shoulder.

"Look, they have pictures of us! How sweet," Brooke hummed, pointing at the two of them.

"Number five, she's a teacher..." Haley read from the magazine, shaking her head. "Haley teaches at Tree Hill High School, home of the Ravens."

"Shout out," Peyton laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Good thing it's summer, your students would be bringing you copies and asking for your autograph."

"Very funny," Haley said, shaking her head and laughed. She brushed her fingers through her hair, sighing softly.

"Number four, she and Nathan are very private. Especially when it comes to their son, Nathan has shared a few pictures with her on social media, but her socials are on private." Peyton hummed, looking down at the pictures of the two of them. "Hey, at least they picked the best ones."

Haley smiled slightly, tracing her finger over one of the pictures, biting her lip.

"She likes this article now," Brooke joked, winking at Haley. "You and Nathan are such a hot couple. Look at the two of you next to each other, it's really not fair."

"Okay, let's finish this up. I'm a little enticed to see what else they know." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Number three, they dated in college," Haley read out, tapping her fingers on her cart. "They attended Duke University together," She raised her eyebrows, pointing to a picture of her and Nathan when they were at Duke. "Where the hell did they find that? I haven't seen that picture in years."

"They have people that dig deep," Brooke said, nodding at her and smiling brightly. "You two were babies!"

Haley smiled, looking at the picture again, "I really need to go through my Nathan box that I have in storage. I'm sure there are tons of adorable pictures like this."

"Oh, I'm so looking through that with you," Peyton laughed, nodding her head. "My favorite pictures are the ones with the longish hair he sported towards the end of our senior year. Sometimes I look at those pictures and think he pulls it off, but sometimes I'm thankful he cut it."

Haley laughed, nodding at her friend. "I know what you're talking about. How about after we get everything on my list, we drop it off at my house, go to lunch, then go to the storage unit?" She suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm in," Brooke said, nodding quickly. "I mean, who knows how long those boys are going to stay at the Rivercourt? It's like the hottest day of the year, but they'll stay there all day. I had to force sunscreen on Lucas, and I doubt he'll put more on."

"I told Nathan that he better make sure Jamie is lathered or I'll beat his ass," Haley laughed, letting out a deep breath.

"I'd like to agree with you guys, but Jake is the one that makes me put on sunscreen," Peyton laughed, rolling her eyes. "But we're definitely going to that storage unit. Let's keep reading."

"Number two..." Brooke hummed, looking down at the magazine once again. "Her sister is dating Nathan's agent, Clay Evans. The pair have been dating for quite awhile now, and we're a little obsessed with them too."

Haley found the picture associated with the caption, smiling slightly. It was a picture Clay had taken with her and Quinn at his sides, and the back of Jamie's head in the picture. He'd captioned it 'James Sandwich', something that he'd found so incredibly hilarious.

"Quinn and Clay are hot too. Wow," Peyton laughed, pointing at the picture. "Are Jake and I that hot?"

"Of course, P. Sawyer," Brooke laughed, holding it out to Haley. "Number one. Her and Nathan are so in love."

"It does not say that," Haley said, shaking her head and looking over. She smiled as she read over the words, letting out a deep breath.

"After winning the NBA Finals, they both got very emotional when they met down on the court. There's a video floating around, and you can see the tears for him Nathan's eyes as he pulls Haley in for a hug. Talk about a sweet moment, if you haven't seen it, it's a must watch..." Haley read, letting out a deep breath. "Wow. What a great number one thing to know about me."

"I was there in person, it was so adorable," Brooke agreed, setting the magazine in the cart. "You're buying this to show Nathan."

"Nathan won't care," Haley responded, waving her hand and shaking her head.

"Nathan cares about everything that has to do with you, he'll probably frame it," Peyton laughed, shrugging slightly. "It's just who he is when it comes to you."

"Alright, alright. I'll buy him the magazine," Haley hummed, rolling her eyes and laughing. "Now come on, I need to go get the rest of the things on my list. Don't add anything else. I swear, you two are worse than Jamie..."

Brooke picked up the magazine, smacking Haley with it, before tossing it back in the cart. "Whatever."

"Alright, I'm sending you two off to go find things. Pick some stuff on my list, and go," Haley hummed, holding the paper out to them.

"Who still writes up grocery lists? You can type a grocery list in your notes on your phone," Brooke laughed, nodding at her.

"Okay, that's enough. Type it up in your notes, and go find me these things."

xxxx

Haley lifted up the metal door that had her old boxes, as well as some of her parents old things, inside of it.

"Here it is, the dungeon..." She laughed, looking over her shoulder at her two friends. "It really needs to be cleaned out, there's so much stuff in here."

"This is your life, Haley," Brooke said, gesturing around. She stepped forward, grinning slightly as she walked over to Jamie's old stuff, flattening her hands over the railing on the crib. "This is Jamie's life."

Haley smiled, smoothing her hand over the wood. "I can probably get rid of this..." She trailed off, letting out a deep breath.

"Why would you?" Peyton asked her, raising her eyebrows. "Is this about the whole marriage thing?"

"No," Haley answered, shaking her head quickly. "I was saving it for the future, but you know Nathan... He always wants the newest things."

"But look how cute it is. Little baby Jamie slept in this," Brooke said, looking down at it.

Peyton laughed, resting her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "I think it's going to be alright, Brooke."

Haley laughed, looking around the unit, letting out a deep breath. "There's so much of his stuff in here. I miss having a little baby."

"I want a baby," Brooke whined, shaking her head and sighing softly.

"Are you and Luke still trying?" Peyton asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"We were, but we decided to take a break," Brooke informed them, sitting down on what Haley recognized to be her parents old kitchen chairs.

"It'll happen, Brooke." Haley told her, sending her a comforting smile, opening up a box that was full of Jamie's old clothes.

"You know, I don't think we have nearly enough alcohol for this conversation," Peyton chuckled, holding out her hand. "Give me your keys, Hales. You two keep looking around, I'm going to make a quick trip to the store."

"P. Sawyer, you might just be a genius," Brooke laughed, nodding at her and standing up. "Don't hold back."

"I can tell that you two need it, so trust me, I won't..." Peyton laughed, taking the keys and stepping out of the unit.

Brooke looked in the box of Jamie's clothes, grabbing the first one off the top. "Shut up! Look at how small he used to be."

Haley smiled, reaching out and holding onto the leg of the onesie, letting out a deep breath. "The fact that these boxes are on top should tell you how often I come in here."

"He used to grow every five seconds, now he's pretty short..." Brooke laughed, smiling.

"Nathan says it's my fault," Haley hummed, nodding her head. She looked into the box, pulling out a little onesie with basketball all over it. "I remember when Nathan brought this one home. He was so excited, kept telling Jamie all about basketball..."

"He loves being a dad," Brooke commented, smiling over at her.

"He really does. Even at such a young age, he loved it." Haley hummed, setting the article of clothing back down. She moved the box carefully, setting it to the side. "I know it's here somewhere. I think I labeled it Nathan, but it could be a crude name. I can't remember..." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "It may just say college."

"What do you think is in it?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows and looking over at her.

"Probably mostly pictures and things Nathan gave me. I honestly can't remember," Haley laughed, looking through the boxes.

"Why don't your parents keep their stuff at their house now?" Brooke questioned her, humming softly.

"They always say they're going to pick it up, then they never do. I don't really care," Haley responded, shrugging. "They might need to come get some stuff once I move into Nathan's house because I'll probably need to put some more stuff in storage."

"When is this move going to happen, hm? It seems like there's been a lot of talk, and no action..." Brooke informed her, raising her eyebrows curiously.

"We were waiting for the season to be over, and now we're just doing things slowly. I don't know what were even going to do with all my stuff, so we're moving the little things," She said, letting out a deep breath.

"I don't want to be a downer, but maybe you should keep it," Brooke said, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too..." Haley responded quietly, looking down. "Not that I think anything is going to happen to make us split up again, but I didn't think anything would happen the first time either."

Brooke let out a sigh of relief, "I was worried you'd yell for that," She laughed, smiling over at Haley.

Haley shook her head, "I don't think it will happen, but I'm not going to say there's no chance of it happening. There's always a risk," She said softly, wrapping her arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"Have you talked to him about marriage?" Brooke asked her, raising her eyebrows.

"No, and I'm not going to," Haley said simply, letting out a small sigh. "I'm just going to get over it."

"Fight for what you want, Haley," Brooke said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't want it yet, necessarily..." Haley said, shaking her head. "But I don't want to talk about this, try me again when I have something to drink."

Brooke laughed, nodding and opening up one of the boxes, looking inside. "I've got a smaller box."

Haley sighed, looking in it. "Oh, my parents think they're so funny..." She groaned, shaking her head and laughing.

Brooke opened up the next box, laughing when there was another box. "They're pretty funny."

"Yeah, whatever. When you get to the last box, it's going to be a note or something," Haley sighed, shaking her head and moving onto the next box.

Brooke eventually got to the last box, laughing quietly. She pulled out a little folded up piece of paper, opening it up. "Love you, Haley Bob!"

"Told you," Haley said, shaking her head and glancing over at her.

"It's sweet," Brooke hummed, shaking her head and handing Haley the note.

"You really must have buried this box, Hales..." Brooke laughed, moving another box to the side.

"I think I did that on purpose," Haley laughed, shaking her head. "This is going to suck to clean up..." She grumbled, moving some boxes to the side.

It wasn't long before Peyton showed up, and it was even less time until both Brooke and Haley were a little bit drunk.

"I just want to have a baby!" Brooke whined, shaking her head.

"You know what, you deserve a baby!" Haley said, poking her arm. "You're going to have a baby."

"Can I have Jamie?" Brooke asked her, nodding quickly.

Haley laughed loudly, shaking her head. "You can't have my baby." She said, patting Brooke's shoulder.

"But I like him," Brooke pouted, crossing her arms and raising her bottle to her lips, finishing it off. She looked at Peyton, holding the empty bottle out, "Have a drink!"

"Someone has to drive you dorks back home and explain to Nathan and Lucas what happened," Peyton laughed, taking the empty bottle, setting it in the garbage bag.

"They won't care," Haley said, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "Nathan wants me to let loose."

"I deserve this! I work hard, and I'm not pregnant so I might as well drink," Brooke said, reaching over and opening up a new bottle.

Haley looked inside the box sitting in front of her, holding up a black velvet box, opening up and looking inside. "Here, Brooke. This is a bracelet that Nathan gave me. You can have it!"

Brooke took it, grinning widely. "Wow!" She said, nodding appreciatively at Haley.

"I'll only be getting bracelets for the rest of my life," Haley pouted, picking up at picture of her and Nathan after they'd gotten engaged. "I hate this picture! I want a ring..." She groaned, holding her hand in Peyton's face.

Peyton laughed, nodding at her. "I'm sorry, Haley..." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why doesn't he want to get married?" Haley asked, shaking her head, dropping the picture back in the box. She found another picture of them, groaning. "This Nathan wanted to get married."

"That Nathan also let a slut flirt with him!" Brooke said, poking Haley's leg.

"Good point," Haley said, lifting her bottle to her lips and throwing her head back. "I never ever partied in college! I worked hard, I took care of his baby, and he won't marry me?"

"You deserve the wedding! You deserve the wedding!" Brooke chanted, nodding at her.

"I'm going to tell him," Haley said, dropping the bottle to the side.

"Tell him!" Brooke cheered, clapping her hands.

Peyton cleared his throat, shaking her head. "Slow your role there, Haley..." She laughed, handing her another bottle. "Let's finish looking through the box."

"I'm having a baby! Lucas wanted to stop trying for awhile, but I'm going to be pregnant by the end of the summer," Brooke told them matter-of-factly, letting out a deep breath.

"If Lucas isn't working out, you can borrow Nathan," Haley hummed, looking at her.

Brooke's eyes widened, pulling Haley into a tight hug, gasping. "Do you mean that?" She asked her, her words slurring out.

"Of course!" Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Nathan's boys know what they want!" She giggled, sticking out her tongue.

"Okay," Peyton laughed, clearing her throat again. "You two are so wasted."

"You're not wasted, I'm wasted!" Brooke argued, before bursting into laughter, "I mean... Oh, I don't know..."

Haley laughed right along with her, picking up another photo out of the box. "This is us after we found out Jamie was a boy!" She said, holding it out. "Wait! Maybe I want a baby too."

Brooke gasped, nodding at her. "You can have twins and give one to me?" She suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"I would be honored," Haley responded, giggling and taking another drink.

"Peyton! We're having a baby!" Brooke yelled, gesturing to her and Haley.

Peyton laughed, giving her a thumbs up. "Congrats," She said, shaking her head.

Haley high-fived Brooke, smiling brightly. "Oh boy, look at these ones! We had sex right before these were taken," She hummed, holding up a picture of her and Nathan laying in bed next to each other.

"You two are hotties!" Brooke said, examining the photo, holding it over to Peyton. "Spill about how good Nathan is in bed."

"You two already know," Haley pouted, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"I had a drunken one night stand that I forgot about! It's been years, Hales." Brooke slurred, dragging out the last 's.'

"If I could have sex with Nathan all day long, I would," Haley giggled, taking another long drink out of the bottle in her hand. "He always knows exactly what I need."

Brooke laughed, nodding her head. "Lucas too. They must be connected or something..." She trailed off, eyes widening. "Wait! They're brothers!"

Haley laughed, nodding her head, taking the picture back and looking down at it. "I love him so much! And he loves me so much..."

"I want you to be a bride. I want to make you a dress," Brooke pouted, crossing her arms. "Let's rip up all these pictures and throw them at Nathan!"

"Okay, you two. Don't start shredding pictures," Peyton laughed, shaking her head.

"Your turn, P. Sawyer," Brooke hummed, looking over at her. "Either complain or tell us how your handsome, brown eyed man is in bed."

Peyton rolled her eyes, resting her hand on Brooke's shoulder, "Simmer down," She said, nodding towards the box. "What else is in there?"

"There's a cheesy love note," Haley said, reading over it quickly. She smiled slightly, before setting it back down in the box. "There's actually a bunch of cheesy love notes, some old t-shirts, some hats that he used to wear. A lot more pictures..." She trailed off, "Just about every gift he gave me, and an old bottle of his cologne. Everything he left at our apartment and never came back for, pretty much. Well... I hid the t-shirts when he tried to come pick them up because I liked to sleep in them for awhile. Same with the cologne, it smelled like him and I missed him."

Brooke looked inside, nodding her head, "Well you don't have to miss him anymore..." She said, smiling at her.

Haley grinned, lifting up his old Celtics sweatshirt. "This one I liked a lot. I wore this after we had sex for the first time after we started dating... He didn't ask about it, probably thought I burned it."

"Well damn girl, you should have!" Brooke said, nodding her head. "Let's burn it right now! You should've burned this box."

"Should we?" Haley asked, raising her eyebrows and looking at Brooke.

"No, you definitely should not. You two are destructive when you're drunk together," Peyton laughed, shaking her head.

"I have a secret to tell you!" Haley said, holding her finger to her lips. "But it's a secret."

"Spill, Tutor Mom," Brooke said, taking another drink, looking at her expectantly.

"I slept with Nathan in high school," Haley whispered, shushing them loudly. "We never told anyone."

"Tutor Badass, I didn't know that!" Brooke gasped, looking at her with wide eyes.

"When did that happen?" Peyton asked Haley, kinking one eyebrow.

"When we went to prom," Haley admitted, laughing. "I never told anyone that! I've been keeping that a secret for years."

"I can't believe I never knew! I usually have a sixth sense for this type of thing," Brooke said, shaking her head.

"Brooke, you didn't know they were back together for a few months," Peyton pointed out, shrugging.

"What, and you did?" Brooke asked, poking Peyton's arm.

"I knew it was going to happen before Haley did," Peyton said, shrugging her shoulders.

Haley's jaw dropped in an overexaggerated shock, looking at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"I talked him into it," Peyton hummed, laughing quietly at the looks on their faces. "He was venting to me. He never told me when it officially happened, but I kind of figured it out because he stopped complaining to me."

"He loves me so much," Haley bragged, smiling brightly. "Mm, I'm so glad he's home now."

"You two are so amazing," Brooke said, nodding quickly. "You're totally going to live happily ever after!"

Haley grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up. "We are," She hummed out, looking into the box again.

"Marriage isn't the best thing in the whole world, Haley..." Brooke slurred out, shaking her head. "That's not true, I love being married."

Haley pouted, shrugging her shoulders, "It doesn't seem like Nathan. There's something else, because Nathan is the kind of guy that would want to get married."

"Last time you were pregnant!" Brooke gasped, looking at her. "Get pregnant again! Maybe he'll propose then?"

"I don't think he proposed just because she was pregnant, Brooke..." Peyton assured them, shaking her head.

"I should confront him," Haley said, nodding quickly. "Let's go to the Rivercourt."

"Jamie is there, do you want him to see you like this?" Peyton laughed, raising her eyebrows.

"Good point," Brooke said, tapping Peyton's nose. "Let's finish drinking."

Haley grinned widely, nodding at her. "Good idea!"

xxxx

Peyton helped Haley out of the car, laughing as she leaned on her for support.

"No more drinking in the middle of the day, Haley James..." Peyton informed her, helping hold her up.

"You're so nice, Peyton..." Haley slurred out, smiling at her. "You can keep my car."

"Thanks," Peyton responded, stepping up to the front door. "Let's sneak you in before Jamie sees, hm?"

"Jamie is such a good boy," Haley said, nodding quickly. She raised her fist and knocked on the door loudly.

"Why don't we just go in?" Peyton laughed, looking down at her.

"Nathan can carry me up the stairs," Haley said, letting out a deep breath.

It wasn't too long before Nathan pulled open the front door, raising his eyebrows.

"Hey," He said, looking at Haley, then sending Peyton a questioning look.

"Hey handsome," Haley purred, stumbling forward and leaning against him.

Nathan chuckled quietly, waving his hand in Haley's face, tugging it back when she tried to bite him.

"Mama is a little wasted," Peyton informed him, rubbing Haley's back. "I'm going to take her car back to my house, if that's okay. You guys can pick it up, or we can drop it off whenever."

"Alright," Nathan chuckled, looking down at Haley and smirking slightly. "Uh, I'm not going to ask what happened. Thanks for bringing her home, Peyton."

"Good luck," Peyton laughed, squeezing Haley's arm. "Bye Haley."

Haley whipped around, grinning widely at her, "Bye Peyton!" She said, throwing her arms around her neck.

Peyton laughed, hugging her briefly, before stepping away, offering Nathan a wave, before walking back out to the car.

Nathan looked down at Haley, laughing quietly. "Hey baby, how's it going?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Will you carry me upstairs?" Haley asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He nodded in response, lifting her up and glancing around to make sure Jamie wasn't around, before hurrying towards the stairs.

"I've been drinking," Haley informed him, tightening her arms around his neck.

"I can tell," He responded, holding her close to him. "I'm going to put you on the bed, okay?" He hummed, stepping into their room.

"Are you going to stay with me?" She asked him, pouting up at him.

"I'm afraid not," He laughed, resting her on the bed carefully.

Haley held onto him tightly as he tried to put her down, pulling him on top of her.

"Stay," She whined, looking at him and nodding. "We can make out for a little while."

"As tempting as that sounds, Jamie was telling me what he's going to name the bunny that we're supposedly getting him for his birthday," He laughed, resting his hands on the bed, pushing himself up off her.

She looked up at him and let out an over exaggerated sigh, patting the bed next to her. "Bring him too."

"I don't think that will happen," Nathan laughed, kissing her forehead. "I'll stay with you for a minute, okay?" He suggested, sitting down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hand over her leg lightly.

"I want everything," Haley blurted out to him, poking him lightly and scowling.

"Okay?" He laughed, grabbing onto her hand and raising his eyebrows.

"I mean it, Nathan! Don't laugh..." She groaned, rolling onto her side, digging her knee into his back lightly. "I want it."

"Whatever you want, baby..." He hummed, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"You mean it?" She asked him quickly, raising her eyebrows and grinning.

"Sure," He agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "I want you to have whatever it is you want."

She smiled proudly, tugging on his arm lightly, "Lay down by me. I want to feel your strong body against mine."

He laughed, shaking his head. "No can do. You'll start kissing me, then groping me, and then I'll either be stuck in here for a little while, or I'll be stuck taking a cold shower." He said, looking down at her.

"Risk it," She hummed, patting the bed behind her, nodding up at him.

He laughed, climbing over her, laying behind her. He wrapped his arm around her, tugging her close to him. "As soon as you get handsy, I'm out of here."

Haley giggled, glancing back at him and nodding her head. "I love drinking. I'm having the best time!"

"I'm going to have to have a word with Brooke and Peyton," He laughed, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

"Oh I had so much fun today! I'm in a magazine," She informed him, cuddling back into him.

He raised his eyebrows, lifting his head up and looking down at her. "What do you mean?"

Haley looked up at him, frowning. "About what?"

He laughed, kissing her cheek and resting his head back against the pillow. "Never mind, babe..." He said, smiling at her.

Haley rolled over so she was facing him, throwing her leg over his waist, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder. "You smell so good."

"I just showered," He laughed, hugging her close to him, rubbing her back lightly.

"Without me?" She gasped, gripping his shirt in her hands.

"You were apparently drinking with your friends," He hummed, looking down at her.

After a second, she shot up to a sitting position, looking down at him. "That's not all," She slurred out, resting her hand on his leg.

"Oh yeah? What else were you doing?" He questioned, sitting up slowly, leaning back against the headboard.

"I went through my Nathan box," She informed him, rubbing the silky material of his shorts between her fingers. "I want to wear these shorts, let me try them on."

Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Another time," He hummed, raising his eyebrows. "What's a Nathan box?"

"It's my box that has stuff that reminded me of you in it that I got tired of looking at after we broke up," She said, tugging on his shorts lightly.

He sat up straighter, clearing his throat. "What's in it?" He asked, pulling her hand off his shorts.

She grabbed onto his t-shirt, feeling the material and looking up at him. "Let me where this," She said, tugging on it.

"I'm wearing it," He told her, looking at her and shaking his head. "What's in my box?"

"Give me your shirt..." She whined, lifting it up, ducking her head down, putting it under his shirt.

He burst into laughter, rolling his eyes. "Haley!" He laughed, lifting his shirt over his head and handing it to her. "Take it."

"Okay," She hummed, tugging her shirt she was wearing over her head, throwing it to the side. She pulled his shirt on quickly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I look like you!"

"Uh huh..." He laughed, kissing her forehead. "What's in my box?"

"Just your old stuff." She hummed, brushing her fingers over his stomach muscles.

"My old stuff? What if it's things I've been looking for?" He asked, frowning.

"It's not," She said, smoothing her hand over his chest, licking her lips. "This is a good chest."

"Thanks," He laughed, standing up slowly. He walked over to his closet, pulling out another t-shirt, tugging it over his head.

"What are you doing?" She frowned, looking at him and shaking her head.

"I'm putting another shirt on, because you were pawing me." He informed her, looking over his shoulder at her. "Now I'm going to go with Jamie."

"You said!" Haley pouted, standing up quickly. She hurried to him, jumping onto his back, draping her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He stumbled forward at the unexpected connection, shaking his head and laughing. "Haley!" He laughed, rolling his eyes.

Haley bit down on his ear lightly, tightening herself around him. "I want you to stay in here with me."

"Hey, goofball, I can't stay in here with you. I'll come check on you in a little bit. How about you take a nap?" He asked her, glancing over his shoulder, walking over to the bed.

Haley let go, falling down onto the bed, nodding at him. "Don't be too long," She hummed, fake-yawning.

Nathan nodded, taking off her shoes quickly, tossing them towards the closet. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

"And I love you with my whole entire heart, you sweet man. Thank you for taking such good care of me," She said, quickly sliding her jeans off her legs, tossing them to the side.

He smiled at her, brushing her hair out of her face, nodding. "Alright, babe. I'll come check on you in a little bit," He hummed, stepping out of the room quickly.

xxxx

Haley stepped down the stairs quietly, rubbing her head and letting out a deep breath. Who the hell let her drink in the middle of the day? Dammit, Peyton. Stupid suggestion.

She looked over at Nathan, who glanced in her direction from his seat on the couch.

He held up a glass of water, and a bottle of pills, smirking up at her.

Haley sighed, taking a seat next to him quickly, taking the proper amount of medicine and taking a long drink of the water.

"How're you feeling?" He chuckled, resting his hand on her back, turning down the volume of the TV show he'd been watching.

"Horrible..." Haley grumbled, tucking her legs under herself, resting her head on his shoulder. "Where's Jamie?"

"Asleep. It's after nine," He hummed, looking down at her and smiling.

"Good," She breathed out, lifting her head from his shoulder, shifting herself until her head was rested in his lap.

Nathan brushed his fingers through her hair, curling it around his fingers.

"What happened?" She groaned quietly, shaking her head. "I can't remember everything."

"You love me so much," He laughed, grabbing onto her hand, raising it up and kissing her knuckles. "And you want my body so much."

"I hope that neither of those are a shock to you," She laughed quietly, looking up at him and letting out a deep breath.

"And you have a Nathan box that I've never heard about before," He said, smirking slightly.

"Oh yeah," She said, shaking her head. "That's about the last thing I really remember. I was going through my storage unit with Brooke and Peyton showed up with drinks," She laughed, rubbing her forehead lightly. "The rest is a blur."

He massaged her scalp lightly, smiling down at her. "No more drinking in the middle of the day, hm?" He hummed, winking at her.

"Definitely not," She laughed, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, looking down at her and raising his eyebrows.

"Not really," She grumbled, biting down on her bottom lip lightly. "Can you just massage my head again?"

He smiled, nodding and moving his hand back into her hair, doing as she asked him to.

"Do you want to go back to bed, baby?" He asked her quietly, his other hand stroking her arm lightly.

"I don't know," She responded, letting out a small sigh. "I feel so sick."

"I'm sorry, Hales..." He whispered to her, shutting off the TV all together. "Do you want me to get you some coffee? That might help."

"No," She responded, cuddling into him. "I just want to lay here with you."

"Okay," He responded, nodding at her. "Whatever you want, baby... If you fall to sleep, I'll carry you upstairs."

"You can watch TV, honey, but please don't have it too loud," She said, looking up at him.

"Sit up for a second," He said, helping her sit. He grabbed one of the pillows off the couch, resting it on his lap and tapping it lightly. "Might be more comfortable than my oh-so muscular legs."

She smiled at him, kissing his cheek lightly, before laying back down, shifting onto her side so her back was to the TV.

"If it's too much, let me know. I'll turn it off," He said, clicking the TV back on, muting the volume and turning on subtitles.

She smiled slightly, leaning forward and pressing another kiss to his stomach, nodding and closing her eyes.

He smiled down at her, one hand continuing to massage her head, while the other lightly stroked up and down her side and back, quickly lulling her back into a sleeping state.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"We're pretty high up here," Nathan commented, looking around. He rested his hand on he back, staring out across the city, letting out a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Haley frowned, looking at him and leaning into his side, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah... Can't go to London without visiting the London Eye," He said, pressing a kiss to her head.

"You look a little nervous, baby," She hummed, glancing up at him.

"Haley, I scored a buzzer beater shot in the NBA Finals without blinking an eye. This absolutely doesn't make me nervous. I was just making a comment," He laughed, stepping behind her, winding his arms around her. "Nice view."

"One of the top ten sights to see in London. You can see a lot of the other sights in London just from being up here," She informed him, leaning back against him.

"The only sight I want to see right now is-"

"Stop right there, Scott..." She laughed, squeezing his arm lightly. "I want to see London."

"I can bring you back here another time," He said, kissing the side if her head.

"It's so beautiful up here," She commented, letting out a deep breath. "Brooke, Peyton, and I briefly discussed taking a trip around Europe a couple years ago. I'm glad I waited for you though," She hummed, looking up at him and smiling.

"Would it be totally inappropriate to shove you up against the railing and make out with you?" He asked, squeezing her side lightly, laughing.

"Considering there are other people here, I'd say yes," She laughed, letting out a deep breath. "I'm so in love with you, Nathan Scott."

He smiled at her words, resting his chin on top of her head, stroking his fingers over her stomach lightly. "I love you too, baby."

"If you're scared, then that's okay," She teased him, closing her eyes briefly, before looking out over the city again.

"I'm not scared, Haley James," He laughed, glancing around at the other people in the lift.

"I know, but if you were... I'm here to protect you," She hummed, laughing and shaking her head. "This is so beautiful, Nathan. Thank you so much."

He smiled, stepping out from behind her, brushing his hand up and down her back lightly. "Anything for you, Haley James."

Haley let out a deep breath, watching as they reached the top. The view so beautiful. The way the sunset had such vibrant colors. It was perfect.

She glanced over at her boyfriend, letting out a deep breath. This would be a perfect spot for him to propose to her. There weren't many people in the pod with them. They'd had a wonderful day, a wonderful dinner, and now they were going around the London Eye. He looked so dapper in his dark suit and dark shirt.

They talked to Jamie briefly about an hour ago, and he was having an excellent time with Brooke and Lucas.

They'd been in London for three days now, and there had been many times where the thought of him proposing to her had crossed her mind. Hell, she'd considered throwing caution to the wind and doing it herself. But he didn't want to get marred.

She pushed the annoyance down, kissing his cheek lightly, leaning against his arm.

It wasn't long before she heard a squeal behind her, whipping around quickly.

Of course. She watched as the guy held out a ring to the excited girl, blowing out a deep breath.

Of-freaking-course. The thought crossed her mind, and instead of her romantic proposal, it was another couple.

"Check it out," Nathan said, grinning. "What a cool idea, on a Landmark, in front of Landmarks." He hummed, nodding towards the two people.

Haley glanced up at him, linking her arm through his and letting out a deep breath. "It is a cool idea," She informed him, squeezing his bicep lightly.

Stupid damn boy. What the hell does he mean it's a cool idea? She wished he wasn't wearing three layers, because she'd had dug her fingernails into his skin.

"He should've done it where we're standing though, it's way prettier over here," Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "Maybe hired a photographer. He must be nervous, didn't think of it."

"Well, it's pretty big," Haley hummed, nodding at him and letting out a small sigh.

"I guess," He said, turning around and looking back outside.

After a moment, Haley felt someone tap her shoulder.

She almost wanted to let out a frustrated groan when she saw the oh so happy couple standing behind her.

"Do you think you could take a picture of us? We just got engaged!" The guy asked her, grinning at her brightly.

"Of course," Nathan answered quickly, taking a step away from the glass. "Stand here, the sunset is awesome from this view."

"Thanks, man... I really appreciate that," The guy responded, handing Nathan his phone.

Nathan held up the phone, taking about twenty pictures of them together, before handing it back. "Here you are," He said, smiling.

"Congratulations," Haley said, offering them a kind smile, resting her hand on Nathan's back.

"Thank you so much," The woman gushed, placing her hand on her now fiance's arm, kissing him briefly. "Isn't this place just so beautiful? I can't imagine a more amazing place."

Haley nodded at her, sighing softly. "It sure is a great place," She confirmed, tucking her fingers underneath the collar of Nathan's suit jacket.

Nathan smirked slightly at the disdain in Haley's voice, before shaking it off quickly. He had to play this one cool. He could see that she was feeling a little annoyed at him, and suspected with enough prodding, she'd eventually explode on him.

"Well, congrats. And good luck," Nathan said, shaking hands with boy the man and the woman. "You two stand here and enjoy the sunset, we've spent plenty of time watching," He confirmed to them, dropping his arm around Haley's waist, turning and heading to the opposite side of the pod.

Haley let out a deep breath, rolling her eyes slightly. Dammit, Nathan. It broke her heart every time she thought back to Lucas' words about how his little brother had no desire to marry her. She wasn't asking to be walked down the aisle tomorrow. Hell, she didn't care if it was a year or two from now, despite her thought of all the perfect places he could propose in London.

When she'd been drunk a couple of week prior, she vaguely remembered telling him that she wanted it all. That was her discreet way of telling him that she wanted everything with him, but he really didn't seem to get the hint.

"That was cool," Nathan said, smiling slightly and shaking his head. "You know, I've helped some dude get engaged before. He was out with his girlfriend at a romantic dinner, and I was there with, um... I think it was Kylie actually. He was really nervous to ask me for help, since I was on a date myself, but I think it's a unique experience, so I was so happy to help. They both tweeted me their wedding pictures once they got married," He hummed, brushing his thumb along her side.

"You never told me that," She said softly, leaning into is side and letting out a deep breath.

Nathan nodded, watching as they slowly descended downwards, pressing a kiss to her head. "There was this stage or something like that, with a band playing. The guy could sing pretty well, and apparently him and his girl were fans and going to my game the following day. All I had to do was go up there and introduce him and say he had something to sing to this girl. I had the waiter give them court side tickets with their receipt," He said, grinning slightly. "It's cool to play even a small role in helping two people connect like that, Hales."

Haley sent him a tight-lipped smile, nodding. This was her Nathan. The romantic guy, who's eyes lit up as he told a story about how he helped a couple of his fans get engaged. Not the guy that wasn't ever going to ask her to marry him. It wasn't characteristic. Marriage was something that he knew she valued, and wanted to do.

It wasn't a deal breaker though. She really wanted to get married, and she really wanted it to be Nathan... But if he really didn't want to get married, and she really couldn't convince him otherwise, she could live with it. Being with Nathan would be better than being without him, even if it was as his partner, and not his wife.

She was pretty quiet the rest of the ride down the London Eye, trying to relax into the feeling of Nathan's gentle thumb brushing over his side, through her dress.

As they took a cab ride back to their hotel, she had also been quiet. Her mind was too far lost in thought, if she said anything it would probably start a slightly awkward argument that was only their business, so if she was going to talk to him, then it would be in the private confines of their hotel room.

As soon as they entered the room, Nathan shed his jacket, and turned around, pushing her back until they reached the kitchen, lifting her up on the counter and kissing her deeply.

Haley smiled slightly against his lips, closing her eyes and groaning lightly, her fingers gripping the back of his head.

Nathan nibbled and sucked at her bottom lip skillfully, wasting no time as he fingers moved to her back, unzipping her dress with ease. He pulled it forward with ease, slipping her arms out of the short sleeves. One of his hands instinctively shot to her breast, practically gluing itself there, while the other started to slip up her thigh, into the material that was waiting to be discarding.

Haley moaned loudly at his hands, her fingers brushing down his collar, undoing the first button on his shirt. He was wasting no time getting her undressed, that was for sure. And she wanted more than anything for focus on the present, not on the past, or on the future.

Usually she did a good job at living in the moment with Nathan, especially when he was doing things like this to her.

But right now... She had to talk to him about it. He felt so good, kissing her, feeling her up. But she didn't think she'd be able to get very far tonight without saying something.

Haley pulled her lips, glancing down at his hands. One was sliding around her back to undo her bra, while the other was pushing further into her dress at a painfully slow pace.

Maybe she should just give this to him, and talk to him about it after. It did feel so good, especially now that is lips had started nibbling on her earlobe, then kissing a line down her neck.

But she wasn't sure if she couldn't handle waiting. She didn't know if she could talk to him after, or if it would even be useful.

Nathan began to kiss down her collarbone, heading for her chest as he undid her bra clasp. The words that left her mouth soon after, caused him to part from her quickly, clearing his throat and staring at her.

"Why don't you want to get married?" Haley asked him softly, panting lightly.

"Huh?" He asked her, trying to play the dumb card, even though he knew that she knew, since he'd told people to tell her that.

"Why don't you want to get married?" She questioned him again, pushing him forward, hopping off the counter. Allowed her clothing to slip from her, leaving her standing in red lace underwear, her arms crossed across her chest. Probably not the most convenient attire for this conversation.

Nathan briefly glanced over at her, before he focused his gaze on the countertop she'd previously been sitting on. "Can we talk about this in a little while?" He asked her, clearing his throat.

"I can't have sex with you until you tell me, Nathan..." She said softly, letting out a deep breath. She picked her clothes up off the ground quickly. She walked to the closet, hanging up her dress and grabbing his coat, hanging it up as well.

Nathan's mouth practically watered as he watched her walk away, pinning another confused expression onto his face.

"I'm going to need you to put on more clothes if we're going to have this conversation," He said weakly, running his fingers through his hair.

Haley let out a slightly annoyed sigh, rolling her eyes at him. She walked into the bedroom area, closing the door behind her.

Nathan smirked slightly as his gaze fell on the digits on her back, sending a shiver down his spine.

He needed to focus. He thought she'd probably bring it up eventually, just to get it out of her system. But he didn't think it would be tonight, at a very inconvenient time for him. He suspected that the couple getting engaged was one of the final straws for her.

He couldn't let her grab ahold of the scent, though. Because she would figure it out in no time if he even dropped the hint.

She walked out a short while later, wearing jeans and a t-shirt tied at her waist with a pony-tail holder. "I'm sorry, Nathan... I just have to know."

Nathan cleared his throat, grabbing onto her hand, pulling her over to the couch and sitting down. "Who told you?" He asked her quietly, raising his eyebrows.

"Lucas," Haley responded, biting her lip nervously.

"Well... Um..." Nathan sighed, rubbing his neck and shaking his head. "We already have a son, Haley. We're already living together. I just don't see the point for throwing a big party for things that are already happening."

"So... It's true," She confirmed, her voice cracking a bit. "You don't want to marry me."

"Haley, come on..." Nathan sighed, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Why can't we go on a vacation together, and have it not end in a fight?"

"We're not fighting, Nathan. I want you to say it, and then I'll move on," She said simply, crossing her arms and staring at him.

"I'm not going to say it, Haley..." Nathan said softly, resting his hand on her knee.

"Why not? You have no problem telling everyone else," She said, resting her hand on top of his.

"I've only told Jake and Lucas!" Nathan said, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Then tell me, Nathan!" She snapped, pushing his hand off her leg, scooting away from him. "I'm not asking you if you want to get married tomorrow, or next week. I just want to know if in a couple of years, you'll be ready."

Nathan shifted his gaze away from her, resting back against the couch. "No, Haley. I don't want to get married."

Haley nodded slowly, tapping her fingers on her knees lightly. "See? I'm fine," She said softly, nodding again. "Cool and collected."

"You don't, um... You don't seem super fine," He commented, letting out a deep sigh. "Haley, I'm not saying this to hurt you..."

"I know, Nathan," She said simply. "I'm fine, alright? I just needed to hear you say it." She paused for a moment, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Can I ask why?"

Nathan looked at her, shifting slightly. So this is what being a horrible, horrible person feels like. He wanted to just reach out and take it back. He'd fix it though, not this week. But soon.

"You know, really the reasons I told you. We already have Jamie, we live together... I just don't see how getting married will change anything," He said, clearing his throat.

"Okay," She responded, leaning back and letting out a sigh. "Well, there it is."

"It has nothing to do with us now, baby... It's about everything we used to be. It didn't work out then, so I don't think it would work out now," He said simply, running his fingers through his hair.

"Nathan, we're completely different people now, okay? I mean, really... You can't judge who we were when we were nineteen and twenty, to who we are now," She said, sighing softly. "Look, it's fine. Whatever, I'm fine with it. I just wanted to hear you say it."

Nathan eyed her, letting out a deep breath. "I love you so much, Haley."

"I love you too, Nathan, you know that..." She said, resting her hand on his cheek. "I said I'm fine, okay?"

"I know, but I'm worried this is going to change us," He said, nodding at her. "Please, Haley, don't be upset."

"I'm not upset, Nathan. I just wish you would've told me before you told everyone else," She said, brushing her thumb over his cheek. "I can't force you to change your beliefs."

He let out a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Hales... I really am."

"I know you are, Nate..." She trailed off, nodding her head. "I'm sorry too," She said simply, standing up. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay," He responded, looking up at her and letting out a small sigh.

Haley sent him a small smile, turning and heading towards the bedroom. She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder at him. "Why'd you say all that stuff, Nathan? About watching two people connect?" She said, tapping her finger on the door. "Do you not think we connect in that way?"

Nathan looked over at her, shaking his head quickly. "Of course we do, baby... I just... Don't have an explanation besides the ones that I gave you."

Haley let out a deep breath, pulling her hair back and nodding her head, letting it drop back down again. "Alright, well... I'll see you when you come to bed," She told him, walking into the room, closing the door behind her.

Nathan sank back against the couch, brushing his fingers through his hair and shaking his head. He had a plan. He wanted to blindside her and make her jump for joy... But more than anything, he wanted to propose to her right now to make her see that he does think they're right for marriage.

But he knew he was going to cave. So he'd left the ring in Tree Hill. He knew that being in Haley's favorite city, watching her explore, and be so happy was going to get to him. So he had not even brought the ring with him.

He let out a deep breath, quickly unbuttoning his shirt. He tossed it to the side, tugging on the collar of his white undershirt. It was suddenly really hot in here. He stood up slowly, walking out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling until he found Quinn's contact.

It wasn't long before she picked up the phone.

"I swear, if this is a butt dial during sex again, I'll freak out..." Quinn answered the phone.

"Very funny," Nathan laughed, shaking his head and staring off into the quickly darkening sky.

"Those are the only times you call me, Nathan," Quinn said, shaking her head. "You'd think James wouldn't be high on your contact list."

"Yeah, you're still under Fletcher in my phone," Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"You know, that doesn't surprise me at all," Quinn groaned, letting out a deep breath. "Change it, right now."

"No, Haley will change it eventually," He laughed, taking a seat at the table. "Or Clay. Someone will," He joked, letting out a deep breath.

"So... You called me. What's up?" Quinn asked him, humming softly.

"Is Clay around?" Nathan asked her quietly, letting out a deep sigh.

"He's not here right now, but you do know that you can call him if you want to talk to him," Quinn laughed, humming softly.

"No, no... I actually don't want him to be around. I just want to talk to you," Nathan said, pushing a hand through his hair.

"Oh boy," Quinn said, letting out a sigh. "That doesn't sound very good."

"What has Haley said to you about this marriage thing?" Nathan asked her softly, resting his legs on the table.

"What, that you don't want to marry her?" Quinn laughed, "She's a little torn up about it. I don't understand why you're not proposing to her in London. It's romantic."

"Because, I have a plan, okay?" He groaned, letting out a small sigh. "I need you to tell her that marriage isn't everything."

"Nathan, you do know that this is Haley, right?" Quinn said, sighing softly. "She wants to get married, she's always wanted to get married. Frankly, I don't quite understand how you got her to sleep with you before you two were married."

"She brought it up to me tonight, and I just feel like scum, Quinn..." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "She says she's fine, but I can tell she's not."

"Nate, you are actually planning on proposing to her, aren't you?" Quinn asked him, clearing her throat.

"Yeah, of course I am..." He trailed off, leaning back.

"Then you don't need to worry too much." Quinn said simply. "Let her be a little upset, but she's going to be fine. Just go make out with her on a subway or something."

"Okay, you're right. I'm going to propose to her, so it's going to be okay. Thanks, Quinn..." He said, nodding his head.

"Of course. Don't butt dial me again, though. I'm serious, Nathan. And change my name to Quinn James in your phone, or else I'll ruin your surprise," She joked.

"You got it. Talk to you later, Quinn," He trailed off, hanging up the phone. He stood up once again, looking across the lit up city, smiling slightly.

He stepped back inside, walking into their bedroom quietly. He looked at Haley, who was laying on her side. She looked like she was asleep.

He slowly undressed, walking into the bathroom. He returned a short while later, brushing his fingers through his damp hair, climbing into bed next to her.

He let out a slow, deep breath, looking over at his girlfriend. Without another second of hesitation, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her closely to his chest.

"Are you awake?" He asked her quietly, lifting his head up after a moment, staring down at her.

"Yes," She responded a minute later, sighing softly.

"I don't want to fight with you, Haley... I especially don't want to go to sleep like this," He said softly, nudging his nose into the back of her head.

"I'm not mad at you, Nathan," She said finally, rolling over so she was facing him. "I'm just disappointed, you know? My whole life, I've wanted to get married. Hell, I didn't want to even have sex with anyone until I was married. But here I am, almost twenty-six, a six year old son, and no ring. Don't get me wrong, baby... I wouldn't trade anything for what we have... I just feel like I've failed my high school self by not following through with my plans."

Nathan frowned slightly, sitting up and letting out a deep breath. The fact that she felt like she was a failure... That struck a chord in him. If Haley was sure of one thing, the majority of the time it was herself. She was confident in most of the decisions she made.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, letting out a deep breath. "Haley..." He trailed off, looking away from her.

"Forget it, Nathan. I shouldn't have said anything. I really just want to go to sleep..." She said, letting out a deep sigh. "Will you rub my back?" She asked him, sitting up slowly.

He nodded his head quickly, watching as she pulled her shirt over her head, laying down on her stomach. He stared down at her naked back for a brief moment, letting out a deep breath.

He slid down, laying next to her, propping his head up and looking down at her skin once more. He rested his hand on her back, lightly ghosting his fingertips along her smooth skin.

He sucked in a deep breath, leaning over and pressing a very gentle kiss to her shoulder, before going back to soothing his hand over her back.

He could tell when she was finally asleep, but continued to slide his fingertips over her skin anyways. He knew she wasn't going to end things with him. No, they loved each other too much for that. But he worried that he'd damage her somehow. And that scared the hell out of him. Breaking Haley was not an option.


	35. Chapter 35

**Okay, I've had quite a bit of free time and this chapter was flowing pretty easily, so here's a quick update. I'm actually very pleased with how it turned out, and I hope that you all enjoy it as well. Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 35**

Nathan looked at his watch, brushing at some invisible dust on his suit coat. He felt his knees bouncing as he sat at the kitchen table, impatiently waiting for Haley to come down the stairs.

He'd taken her on so many dates, but this... This was big one.

He swallowed thickly, the weight of this night weighing on his shoulders for sure.

She still seemed sad. Since they'd arrived home from London two weeks ago, she seemed sad.

There had been so many times where he just wanted to drop down on one knee, and propose to her. In the morning when they woke up, before they fell asleep at night. But... He wanted things to be perfect. Planned out perfectly.

He sucked in a deep breath, standing up quickly when she finally descended the stairs, offering her a large grin. "Hey, baby."

"Hi," She responded, looking him over and raising her eyebrows. "I thought we were just going to Tric. What's with the tie and the jacket?"

"Change of plans. We've been a little off, so instead of spending time with everyone else, I decided that we're going to go to dinner, just the two of us," He said, smiling down at her. "Is that okay?" He asked, offering out his arm to her.

"Yeah," She responded, curling her arm around his, biting her lip lightly. "Where's Jamie?"

"He's already been picked up," He informed her, offering her a small nod. "Are you all ready?"

"I guess so," She hummed, letting out a deep breath, picking up her purse.

"Alright, alright..." He trailed off, looking over at her. He reached his hand into his pocket, nodding at her slowly. "You know how Brooke likes to plan fun dates? Well, tonight I took a crack at it." He said, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Clue number one is hard to find, especially when the window is locked from inside."

Haley raised her eyebrows, looking up at him and shaking we head. "I have no idea," She laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Come on, Hales..." He hummed, leading her out to the car, pulling the door open for her quickly, before rushing around and climbing into the drivers side. "I'd like to think it's clever, but you may not get it. Where would a window be locked that I'd climb through?"

She hesitated for a brief moment, before looking over at him. "My old house?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"You're too smart," He laughed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "To the James residence we go," He hummed, pulling out of the driveway quickly.

xxxx

Haley watched Nathan as he attempted to climb up the house to her old window to grab the piece of paper that was so obviously taped there.

"Nathan, be careful," She laughed, crossing her arms and letting out a deep breath. "You're going to get us in trouble."

"It's okay," He laughed, looking down at her. "I made sure it was okay, relax," He hummed, pulling himself upwards, finally grabbing the paper off of the window, before carefully climbing down. "Do you want to read it?"

Haley took it from him, letting out a deep breath, "Roses are red, violets are blue, you're looking pretty hot standing out here in the rain, and I think I have to kiss you..." She trailed off, looking up at him and grinning brightly. She looked up at the clear sky, kinking one eyebrows, before her gaze shifted back to him.

"Would you look at that..." He trailed off, smirking slightly. "I guess we better do what the card says," He hummed, winding his arms around her waist.

She smiled, resting her hands on the sides of his neck, pulling him down and kissing him lightly, letting her eyes flutter shut.

He pulled her closer to him, tilting his head down further to kiss her deeper, smiling against her mouth.

There was something special about standing in this spot, kissing her again. It was almost as if he felt his nerves of the upcoming night disappear. They were meant to be together.

"So is this where it ends?" She joked, winking at him and raising her eyebrows.

"No, no... The next card is on me as well," He hummed, grabbing it out of his pocket. "Damn that was good, but we don't have a moment to waste. Go to the spot, where we had our first date."

"Unofficial first date, where you told Tim it wasn't a date, or official first date?" Haley asked him, smiling slightly.

"Unofficial," He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Let's go," He hummed grabbing onto her hand quickly, tugging her along with him to the car.

xxxx

"Do you know how hard it was for me to stay friends with you in high school?" Nathan asked her, clearing his throat and raising his eyebrows.

"Don't sugarcoat it," Haley laughed, reaching across the table, resting her hand on top of his.

"I don't mean it like that... But I had such strong feelings for you, Hales... Feelings that I'd never felt for anyone before," He informed her, smiling slightly.

"You really liked Rachel," She reminded him, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Not as much as I liked you," He said, sighing softly. "I still have feelings for you that I've never had for anyone else before, and I'll never have them for anyone else."

"Me too," She responded, smiling at him. "I feel like we wasted so much time dancing around each other in high school."

"We did," Nathan responded, lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles lightly. "You were my rock, Haley James. You're the only reason I graduated, I'm sure of it. But you became my best friend, and you never gave up on me. You could've easily tutored me, and sent me on my way... But you broke down my giant egotistical wall, and made me a man."

She smiled at him, shaking her head, "I just didn't put up with you," She laughed, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"I love you for that," He said, nodding at her. "I fell for you so hard."

"Too bad we were both almost oblivious to the other's feelings," She said softly, looking at the meals Nathan had ordered for them prior to their arrival.

"I remember everything about you in high school, you know? From that ugly ass poncho, to the cheer leading uniform. I remember coming home from high flyers, and being such a dick to you because you had a boyfriend," He laughed, shaking his head.

She laughed, nodding at him. "I remember that too. You really didn't want anything to do with me for awhile."

"I could never stay mad at you, though. Because like I said, you were my rock," He whispered, leaning forward slightly. "You're still my rock, Hales."

Haley offered him a small smile, letting out a deep breath, "You're my rock too, Nathan. You and Jamie are the two most important people in my life."

"I know I've told you this before, but when I told Tim we definitely weren't on a date, and you ran away... I felt horrible," He said, shaking his head. "Like everything in me felt horrible."

"I remember," She hummed, nodding at him. She squeezed his hand lightly, letting out a deep breath. "Thankfully, we've worked things out."

"It was the little moments, Haley... Those meant the most to me. When you'd hold me late at night, when you praised me for getting a B on a test. The big moments mean a lot too... But those little moments were the ones that kept me awake. They made me feel proud," He said softly, standing up slightly, leaning across the table and kissing her lightly.

Haley smiled, nodding at him. "You were the first guy to ever truly make me feel something, Nathan. You and your cute little letterman's jacket you wore all the time," She laughed, reaching across the table and pinching his chin.

"I still have that somewhere. Might have to break it out one of these days, put the Raven's jersey on underneath, show you what I really wanted to do to you back in those days," He said, smiling slightly and winking at her.

"Oh, please do," She laughed, smiling at him and letting out a deep breath. She reached forward, picking up the card off the middle of the table. "We never made it past the date. Shall we?"

"I know what it says," He chuckled, smirking slightly, tightening his tie.

She picked it up, looking into it and grinning brightly. "You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl..." She trailed off, looking up at him and raising her eyebrows.

"We aren't going to Tric. I didn't want to run into everyone after we ditched them," He chuckled, signing the bill when it was brought over to them, standing up and offering her his hand.

"So what are we doing?" She asked him curiously.

He smiled at her, squeezing her hand lightly. "Come on," He said, walking her back over to his car.

After a moment, he pulled up in front of Clothes Over Bro's, looking up at the building and letting out a deep breath. He got out quickly, rushing around and helping her out.

"What are we doing here?" She asked him curiously, looking over at the building and letting out a deep breath.

"This was Karen's Cafe at one point," He reminded her, guiding her up to the doors. He pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocking it quickly, holding the door for her.

"You have a key?" She asked him curiously, grinning slightly.

"Temporarily," He laughed, locking the door behind them. He flipped on the lights, smiling slightly.

A piano resting in the corner of the room caught her eye immediately, her gaze shifting to Nathan. "No way," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Come on, baby... For me?" He asked, guiding her over to the piano slowly, making her sit down. "I hear you sing all the time. This is where I was the first time I heard you sing, and I want to experience it again."

She sighed softly, nodding her head and resting her fingers on the white and black keys. "I'm not sure what this has to do with Jessie's girl," She responded, glancing over at him.

"Just play," He laughed, sitting down in a chair conveniently placed for him, watching her in awe as she began to sing and play the same song she'd played for him close to ten years ago.

Once she was finished, she looked over at him and let out a deep breath.

He immediately stood up, taking a seat next to her on the bench, kissing her deeply.

"That took me back," He whispered to her, resting his hand on her leg. "I love you."

"I love you too," She said softly, brushing her thumb down his cheek.

"Would you like to follow me up to the roof?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"Absolutely," She hummed, linking her arm through his, standing up.

He led her up the stairs, to the roof, letting out a deep breath. "It wasn't too long ago that I shouted my love to you from this rooftop. Do you remember that?"

"I couldn't forget it," She said softly, smiling at him.

He let out a deep breath, pulling his phone out of his pocket and setting it down on the old picnic table, pressing play on the chosen song.

"Oh, lord," Haley laughed as 'Jessie's Girl' started playing through his speaker, rolling her eyes.

"Dance with me," He said softly, stepping forward, resting his hand on her waist, the other grabbing onto hers.

She smiled, hooking one of her arms around his neck, stepping close to him. "I couldn't believe you, you know? I was stunned..."

"I couldn't believe myself. Peyton mentioned it to me as a joke... But there's no way I could pass it up. It was too perfect," He whispered, dancing around with her.

Haley smiled, holding herself close to him, listening as he quietly sang the words into her ear, her eyes fluttering shut.

It was such an intimate moment. Definitely unique, and she'd be surprised if she ever heard him whisper these lyrics to her ever again. Maybe scream them at the top of this lungs in the car. It seemed silly, but he sent chills up her spine as he sang to her. It was so rare, and he wasn't the best singer, but it was perfect.

Once the song was over, Nathan let a few others play, songs that she quickly recognized as her favorite, but it surprised her a little bit that he'd even have them on his phone.

Instead of singing, he hummed the words to her now, gently swaying along with her, keeping her body close to his.

"You know where I think we'd be right now, if we'd never broken up?" He began, looking down at her once the final song finished, shutting off his phone.

"Where?" She asked him softly, blinking her eyes open and biting her lip. She couldn't shake the feeling of pure bliss that settled into her. And she definitely didn't want to.

Nathan grabbed the next card out from underneath the table, holding it out to her and smirking slightly.

"Five kids," She read out loud, looking up at him and laughing quietly. "Really, Nathan?" She asked him, tapping his chest. "Jamie is barely six. We'd have to keep popping them out one right after the other," She said, shaking her head.

"Okay, five is an excessive amount, but that was your clue," He said, smiling at her and nodding his head.

"Five kids... Okay, I'm going to guess the beach. Because if we had five kids, that would be the only time you'd come close to seeing me with no clothes on, and even then, I'd have a bathing suit," She laughed, looking down at the card.

"We could go there, but that's not right," He hummed, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.

"Five kids..." She trailed off, letting out a deep breath and tapping her chin. "Is it... The Rivercourt?"

"Damn, you're good. Can you tell me why?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"Because there needs to be five people on the court," She said, linking her arm through his, nodding slowly.

"Good job," He said, letting out a deep breath. He guided her back off the roof top, down the stairs and back to his car.

xxxx

Nathan watched her, smiling brightly as she stepped onto the Rivercourt.

"Do you remember when I taught you how to shoot a free throw?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course," She hummed, smiling at him. "There's no way I could forget."

"I wanted you so badly that day. You were doing something that I loved," He laughed, stepping up behind her, winding his arm around her. "You know, the feeling you used to get when I would actually study, instead of stare at you."

"Nothing else has quite lived up to it," She laughed, looking over her shoulder at him. "What do you think, Scott? You up for a game?"

Nathan felt his breath catch in his throat, nuzzling his nose into her neck. He glanced at his watch, pressing a light kiss to her skin. He really shouldn't...

"Or are you scared you'll get beat?" She taunted him, turning around in his arms, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not sure I even have a ball, and I'm definitely not using the crappy old one Luke hid around here," He laughed, smirking at her.

"Mm, so you are scared?" She teased him, fingering his tie lightly, winking at him.

"You caught me," He laughed, kissing her softly. He glanced at his watch one last time, letting out a deep breath. "Fine, dammit... But just a quick game. We still have more to do."

Haley grinned, winking at him and pulling her shoes off her feet. She knew she could tease him into playing a game with her easily. Nathan could never resist her, but if she had a basketball in her hands, she knew it was going to be a great night.

He pulled off his jacket, walking over to his car, carefully laying it across the back seat, grabbing the basketball out of the back. This probably wasn't a good idea. But... He wanted her to have fun. He undid his tie, dropping it on his jacket, rolling up his sleeves carefully.

"Quick game, Haley James. I'm not taking it easy on you," Nathan chuckled, stepping back onto the court. "Do you want to wear my shoes?"

"I think they're a little too big for me, babe..." She hummed, holding out her hands for him to pass the ball to her.

Nathan chuckled, carefully bouncing the ball over to her. "Okay, well it's not my fault if your feet get dirty," He said, stepping behind her, resting his hands on her hips.

"If I make this, I'll let you have your way with me, right here, right now," She said, looking over at him and raising one eyebrow.

Nathan let out a deep breath against her neck, closing his eyes, breathing in her scent. They did not have the time for this. But... If she made it, he'd definitely make the time. He could feel his toes curling in his shoes at the thought of her, pressing a careful kiss to the crook of her neck.

Haley shot the ball up awkwardly, watching it completely miss the basket, shaking her head. "Dammit, I missed it..."

"Shame," He whispered, squeezing her waist. "Don't distract me like that, Hales. Let's play. Game to seven," He hummed, stepping away from her quickly, scooping up the ball. "Threes count as two points, half court."

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" She asked him, smiling over at him.

Nathan nodded his head, dribbling the ball towards the line in the center of the court. He smiled at her, letting out a deep breath. It was nice to see her acting like herself, instead of the mopey version of herself she'd been the past couple of weeks.

"Hey, wait a second. I get the ball first," She said, holding out her hand.

He laughed, handing it to her, nodding his head. "It doesn't matter, Haley. I'll win."

"Yeah, whatever," She hummed, taking the ball from him, taking his spot on the half court line.

"Don't rip your dress," He said, smiling at her, stepping towards her, crouching down, holding out his hands.

Haley stepped forward, dribbling the ball sloppily, watching as his footing matched hers. So... Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

She laughed quietly, deciding just to go for it and shoot the ball up.

Nathan smirked, chasing after it quickly. He ran outside the arc, shooting it up and watching it sail in. "That's two points for me."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, you're in the NBA," Haley hummed, stepping towards him as he started to make the same action, resting her hand on the base of his neck. She tugged his face down, so he was an inch above her cleavage, nodding slowly. "Let me win."

Nathan swallowed thickly, glancing towards her face and lifting up his head. "Haley, you're killing me."

"That's my goal," She informed him, standing on her toes and kissing him softly.

He blew out a deep breath, side stepping her and tossing the ball up, listening to the swish sound as it fell through the net, smirking slightly. "Maybe you're my good luck charm."

"Yeah, whatever..." She grumbled, looking up at him. "So... What else do you have in these pockets?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and slipping her hand into his pocket, a small smirk forming on her face.

"Oh, no you don't. You keep your hand out of my pants, Haley. I'm not going to suffer all night," He said, smirking at her. "You're being awfully bold."

"I do what I need to to win," She hummed, raising her eyebrows up at him.

He removed her hand, hurrying over and grabbing the ball. He let out a deep breath, glancing at his watch. Okay, he needed to hurry a little bit more. He moved behind the arc again, shooting it up and watching it land in the net once more. "Sorry, baby. Looks like the game is over."

"You still have to score one more point," She informed him, stepping up to him once more. "What can I do to distract you?"

"Nothing, I'm locked in," Nathan informed her, dribbling the ball between his legs, glancing up towards the basket.

"What if I promise to-"

"Nothing would stop me from getting this ball in the hoop, Haley James," Nathan chuckled, going in for a layup and tossing it up easily, grabbing it as it hit the ground and started to bounce away. "Sorry, babe. Seven to zip. Game is over."

"Dammit. I knew that was a bad idea," She hummed, picking up her heels once again, sliding them onto her feet.

Nathan quickly did the same, rushing over to his car, dropping the ball, grabbing his tie and his suit jacket, looking into the window to make sure he looked presentable, sucking in a deep breath.

"You didn't even break a sweat. That easy, huh?" She asked, resting her hand on his back, smiling at him.

"You didn't try and guard me. You just tempted me," He laughed, turning around and kissing her forehead lightly. "The next card is under the bleachers," He said, walking over and grabbing it.

"When did you have time to do all of this?" She asked him, taking the card and raising her eyebrows.

"I made time. I wanted to plan a fun date for you, Hales," He informed her, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you having fun?"

Haley smiled at the twinge of insecurity in his voice, looking at him and nodding quickly. "Yes," She answered, patting his chest. She opened up the card and read over the words, before speaking them out loud. "We've just done the dancing, and it doesn't stop there. Go to the place, where you let down your hair."

Nathan shoved his hands into his pockets, looking at her and raising his eyebrows. "Where to next?"

"This one is the beach," She informed him, nodding at her head. "These are all really sweet, Nathan," She said softly, leaning into his side.

"I probably put way too much effort into them thinking I could stump you. You're so damn smart," He laughed, kissing her head.

"It's a gift," Haley hummed, grabbing onto his hand and nodding slowly. "Alright, let's get going."

He laughed, leading her over to the car and helping her in, getting in himself, and heading towards the beach quickly, no doubt going a few miles over the speed limit.

xxxx

"Do you want another glass?" Nathan asked her, holding up the bottle of wine, glancing over at her and raising his eyebrows.

"No, I'm alright," Haley laughed, letting out a deep breath. "One is plenty for me, for now..." She said softly, scooting closer to him.

"Okay," He responded, smiling down at her and letting out a deep breath. "You make me nervous, Haley James..."

"How so?" She asked him curiously, raising her eyebrows and smiling up at him.

He picked up her hand, resting it over his heart, holding it there. "Feel that," He said, nodding slowly. "That's all you."

She bit down on her bottom lip lightly, her eyelids fluttering at the feeling of his heart pounding against her hand. She'd felt it so many times, but each time... It was like her heart started to race in unison to his.

"We're meant to be together, you know? Soulmates, if you will..." He said softly, smiling at her. "I've never been with another woman like you, and I'll never find another one quite like you. I never want to, either."

"Good," Haley responded, brushing her fingertips over the knot on his tie. "I never want anyone but you either, Nathan. This feels so right, and I think about other relationships I've been in... No one has ever made me feel like this. And even when I was in those relationships, I knew it. Hell, before we even dated... No one made me feel like you did."

"Right?" He said, grinning down at her. "Like I said, soulmates..."

"It seems like we'd be wrong for each other in every way, Nathan... You want to go left, I want to go right. You hated school, I loved school. You love sports, I'm still not a big fan of them unless I'm watching you," She laughed, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. "We're so different, but we work so well."

"We balance each other out. Well... You balance me out. You'd do just fine without me," He chuckled, smiling down at her.

"Not even a little bit true," She said, shaking her head quickly. "I may seem like I have it together, Nathan... But I was lost without you. For four years, there was a piece of me that was missing, and no one could fill the hole that was left in my heart. People tried, really... And honestly, Jesse probably came the closest to filling it, but no one could match what I'd had."

"It's nice to know that you need me," He said, kissing the top of her head. "Because I really need you." He looked out at the ocean, letting out a deep breath. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Always," She whispered back to him, lifting her head up and looking over at him.

"It's a little embarrassing..." He said, shifting slightly, bending his knees and sighing softly.

"Well now I have to know," She joked with him, raising her eyebrows.

"After we broke up, the first time I... Y'know, had sex with another woman... I cried. I laid in bed and cried for hours, Haley..." He said, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath. "I didn't even finish, I just sent her on her way, and cried the whole night."

She looked up at him, blinking in surprise, smiling slightly. She rested her hand on his cheek, turning his head to face hers, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I love you," She whispered to him, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone. "God, I love you."

He looked down at her and smiled slightly, resting his forehead against hers briefly. "It took me a year, you know..."

"What?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. "You're kidding."

"Nope," He said, popping his 'p' and shaking his head. "It sounds weird, and I know I had a little reputation, but I just couldn't do it with anyone else, Haley..."

"Wow," She said softly, smiling at him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I freaked out too. Like, full on, you better get the hell away from me right now, freak out," She said, shaking her head. "You were the only guy I'd ever been with, and the only guy I wanted to be with..." She said softly, shaking her head. "It took me a long time to accept the fact that I had to move on."

"Me too," He said, letting out a deep breath and glancing at his watch. "I had the occasional dream about you over the years, though," He commented, smirking slightly.

"Oh, lord..." She laughed, covering his mouth. "We are not going to get into this."

"In high school, I dreamt about you so much. All I wanted was Haley James," He laughed, smirking slightly. "Especially after Prom."

"I knew that's why you brought me to the beach! I knew it," She laughed, kissing his shoulder through his suit jacket, rolling her eyes.

"I can't go to this beach without thinking about it," He said, smirking slightly. "Do you know how hard it is to move on when you've had the best sex of your life?"

"I seriously doubt that, Nathan. It was my first time, I couldn't have been that great," She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It was so much more than just that, Haley... You were everything I wanted," He laughed, smiling at her. "I cherished the fact that you trusted me with something so important to you. I still do, actually."

"I never would've wanted anyone but you, Nathan Scott..." She told him, smiling and letting out a deep breath.

"Good," He whispered, looking down at her and smiling. "Even when we were broken up, every once and awhile I'd see your tattoo, and almost grab you and take what was mine."

"Yours, huh?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and smirking slightly.

"Yep. You're mine, and you have my jersey number on you to prove it," He said, his arm resting on her back where the number was, tracing circles around it through her dress. "You've always been mine, you know that?"

"I know," She responded, smiling at him. "You're my everything, Nathan Scott. I wouldn't feel complete unless I was yours, and you were mine," She hummed. "I sat at this same spot with you so many years ago, and trusted you with me, and I still sit here and trust you."

He looked at his watch, nodding his head and smiling slightly. He felt a rush of anxiety run through him as he glanced at the time, before his eyes met hers once again.

"I'm glad you trust me," He whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He ran his hand over her back lightly, leaning back and digging his palms into the blanket beneath them. "Can I tell you one of my favorite memories of us?"

She laughed, looking over at him and nodding quickly. "That question never needs to be asked. I'm always ready to listen to you recount out lives."

"It was right before we left for college," He said, looking out at the ocean, smiling slightly. "My dad was out of town, and we'd gotten done helping your parents load up their RV," He hummed softly, letting out a deep breath. "We'd gone to my dad's beach house, and do you remember that old porch swing he had out front?" He asked her, watching her nod in response. "I remember everything about this moment, clear as day. You were wearing one of my gray Duke t-shirts, and you had it tucked into a pair of dark jeans. You were wearing black converse, and your hair was up in a messy bun," He hummed, curling her hair around his finger. "We were inside, and you suggested we go for a walk down by the beach, but we never made it off the porch, because you changed your mind immediately when you saw the swing," He laughed, looking down at her.

"I remember," She said softly, smiling at him and biting her lip, nodding slowly.

"You pulled me down next to you, lifted up my arm and wrapped it around your shoulders, and cuddled up into my side," He said, letting out a deep breath. "I remember it clear as day. You were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and you were all mine. And as we watched the sunset... There was a stillness. You were lightly stroking your hand over my chest, and we didn't say much. But I had that feeling, y'know? I thought about how I wouldn't mind sitting right here, like this, forever. And I knew I would. I knew I'd sit with you and watch sunset after sunset, feel the stillness and the bliss for the rest of my life, Haley."

Haley gripped his shirt, looking up at him and nodding quickly, touching the corner of her eyes to wipe the tears away. "I had the same feeling, you know? The feeling of being one person, instead of two separate people," She said, kissing him again. "I like listening to you tell me stories about us. You notice a lot."

"Every detail about you is impossible for me to forget," He said, letting out a deep breath. He slid his hand into the inside pocket of his suit coat, pulling the final card out, holding it out to her. "This is the last one."

"Aw," Haley pouted, looking up at him. She opened the card, glancing up at him, "The beginning," She read out loud, nodding slowly.

"Where to next, Haley James?" He asked, standing up, helping her up quickly, folding up the blanket and shaking the sand out of it.

"Hm..." She trailed off, looking at him. "How about you tell me, Mr. Bigshot, scoring your touchdowns?" She said, winking at him and tapping his chest.

"Math don't care and neither do I," Nathan mocked her, leading her back to his car and smirking slightly.

xxxx

Haley raised her eyebrows at the long line of candles that led to the table they'd sat at for the very first time when they were juniors in high school.

She glanced over at him expectantly, squeezing his bicep lightly.

"What are you up to, Nathan Scott?" She questioned him, following him as he led her down the pathway of candles.

"Reminiscing about the good old days, I suppose," He hummed, letting out a deep breath and stopping at the bench, gesturing for her to sit down. "This is our spot."

Haley nodded at him, sitting down slowly and looking up at him. She watched as he took the seat across from her, unbuttoning the top button on his jacket.

It had been a long time since they'd sat in these seats, looking at each other. She smiled at him, looking over him.

He looked so different since the first time they'd sat here. Less of a boy, more of a man. Same cocky grin and smirk, though. He'd come far. He was an excellent father, a kind and caring man. His shoulders were broader, his jaw sharper.

He could still charm people at the flick of his wrist, but now, as he would put it, he used his powers for good, not for evil.

She couldn't help but grin at the thought, letting out a deep breath as she stared at him.

"What?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and smiling at her, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand.

"Just thinking about you," Haley responded, nodding at him. "How different you are now."

He laughed, nodding his head and smiling, "I believe the words you used when we sat here for the first time were 'full of shit' right?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Sounds right to me," She laughed, squeezing his hand. "What are we doing here, Nathan?"

"Same reason we've gone to all of these places tonight, Haley," He hummed, nodding at her. "Because I love you."

"How did you do all this? These candles are real, Nathan. And they're lit," She said, looking down at the ground. "Not to mention it's so dangerous to put them here, if one of them got knocked over-"

"Relax, Hales," He laughed, raising her hand to his lips. "I made sure it was alright, okay? And I had a little bit of help."

"Okay," She said, looking across the table at him and nodding. "This is really sweet, Nathan."

"I do what I can," He responded, leaning across the table and kissing her softly.

"I have to say, I'm a little surprised there's not CrackerJack box though," Haley teased him, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh?" He asked, reaching into his jacket pocket once more, pulling out a small box, holding it up and smirking. "Looks like I just happen to have some with me."

"I don't know how you keep so many things inside of those pockets, Nathan," She laughed, reaching across the table and taking it from him. "Very charming, indeed."

"Thank you," He said, glancing down at the box and letting out a deep breath. "Well, are you going to open it?"

Haley nodded her head, her eyes falling to Nathan once more. She reached across the table, grabbing onto his hand tightly. "I'm sorry if I've been acting a little off, Nathan."

Nathan shifted slightly, flicking his gaze to the box in her hand, shaking his head, "Don't worry about it, Hales..." He dismissed, squeezing her hand, letting out a deep breath.

"No, I'm serious, Nathan..." Haley trailed off, looking at him. "I said I was okay with it, and maybe I'm not completely okay, but days like this make me realize that it doesn't matter. As long as I get to be with you, that's all I want."

Nathan nodded his head, sending her a small smile, "Are you going to open the box or what?"

She smiled at him, pulling open the box carefully. "They usually only keep stickers in here now, so no more fancy bracelets," She hummed, holding up the packaged prize.

Nathan just about jumped out of his seat at how casually she held it up, feeling his nerves sky rocket. She really had no idea what the hell was actually in her hands.

"Damn, that sucks," He said, letting out a deep breath, feeling his knees begin to bounce.

"This stuff really is pretty good though," Haley hummed, setting the package on the table, beginning to eat the popcorn out of the box.

His gaze landed on the table, reaching his hand out to grab it quickly. "Do you want to see what kind of sticker it is?"

"Usually they're about baseball," She hummed softly, looking inside the box.

For the love of... Dammit, she was being totally oblivious. How she hadn't noticed him sweating his ass off by now was above his head.

He looked down at the package in his hand, before up at her. "I want to see what it is..." He trailed off, letting out a deep breath.

So this was going a little bit against his plan. He'd really wanted her to be the one that opened it... But it was fine. His usually quick hands just felt very... Fumbly.

"Be my guest," She hummed, gesturing towards the wrapping, eating some more of the caramel coated popcorn, looking out towards the horizon line, the sun barely peaking through.

Nathan struggled to rip it open, honestly. His palms were sweating like crazy. He definitely didn't feel cool and collected. When he finally got it open, he dumped the silver ring into his hand, taking a moment to admire the larger diamond in the middle, surrounded by smaller ones. It was a little flashy, but not too overbearing.

"Check it out," He finally said, after a moment of hesitation, holding it out in front of him.

Haley glanced over, before her head snapped in the direction of the ring, eyes narrowing in on it.

"No way..." She trailed off, her gaze flickering to Nathan's face.

Nathan smiled at her, standing up slowly. He stepped around the table, dropping down onto one knee with ease, taking her hand in his quickly.

"Haley James-"

"Are you serious?" Haley asked him, her right hand shooting up to cover her mouth.

Nathan laughed, looking up at her and nodding his head, "This is where it started, Haley... The beginning of us," He whispered, kissing her knuckle lightly, holding the ring proudly in front of him. "The CrackerJacks, the table... This is who we are. This is the place we're going to tell our grandchildren about," He smiled brightly up at her. "I wrote two words on the last card I gave you tonight. The beginning. This was where we began our friendship, our love... And this is where I want to start our new life together," He stared up at her, nodding his head. "So, Haley James-"

"You're serious," Haley cut him off again, looking down at him and biting her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Can I say it?" Nathan laughed, shifting slightly on his knee, scooting closer to her.

Haley nodded her head quickly, staring down at him, wiping at the tears that were starting to fall from her eyes, covering her mouth once again.

"Haley James, will you marry me?" He asked her, looking up at her and grinning brightly.

"Yes!" Haley said, standing up quickly, cupping his cheeks, leaning over and kissing him deeply.

"Wait, wait!" He laughed, grabbing her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger quickly.

Haley pulled him upwards, throwing her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her body against his, eyes fluttering shut. He pulled her against him once again when she started to part away from him at the sound of a camera flashing next to them.

He lifted her up off the ground, twirling her around quickly, before setting her back down on the ground, kissing her again.

They only parted when they felt a two small arms wrap tightly around their legs.

Nathan looked down at their son, his grin growing. He lifted him up, hugging him tightly. "Hey, buddy."

"She said yes!" Jamie said, grinning over at Haley. "I knew she would!"

"You knew all about this, huh little bug?" Haley asked, tickling Jamie's stomach lightly, smiling brightly at him, touching his little bowtie.

Jamie looked between his parents, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't say he never gave you anything!" He said, sticking out his tongue.

Haley felt her heart melt, the tears running down her face once again. She grabbed Jamie's face, pressing kisses all over his sweet little face, looking over at Nathan. She leaned over and kissed her now fiancé quickly.

"I love you so much, Nathan..." She whispered, glancing over when she noticed cameras flashing again. She smiled brightly when she realized it was Quinn standing behind the camera.

"I love you too, baby..." He whispered back to her, setting Jamie down slowly, resting his hands on her waist, pulling her in close to him.

Haley rested her hands in his chest, her gaze narrowing down on the ring on her finger. "Nathan..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

"No more crying, Hales..." He laughed, ducking his head down and kissing her softly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, one leg popping up as she kissed him, her hands tangling in his hair.

Nathan jumped away when confetti shot all over them, looking over at where Jamie had joined a group of their friends, looking down at Haley and laughing. "I told you I had some help."

Haley looked up at him, brushing her fingers down his neck lightly, before her gaze shifted over to her friends, "I can't believe you all..." She trailed off, leaning against Nathan. "You all knew about this."

"So, what did you say?" Lucas joked, stepping over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"She said maybe," Nathan answered for her, hugging Lucas quickly.

"She said yes," Jamie announced to his uncle, smiling proudly up at his father. He looked over at his mom, nodding, "I helped pick out the ring."

"Yes you did," Nathan said, ruffling his hair. He pulled Clay into a hug when he rushed forward, letting out a deep breath.

"Proud of you, buddy," Clay whispered into his ear, patting his back. "And we knew before anyone," He smirked, gesturing between himself and Quinn.

"Actually, that would be me, Evans," Peyton said, hugging Nathan and grinning, before moving down to hug Haley. "How are you feeling, foxy?"

"So damn amazing," Haley said, hugging her tightly, letting out a deep breath, smiling over at Nathan.

"You two are in for a treat," Jake said, smiling brightly at them. "Get married is the best decision I ever made."

"It's a least top ten for me," Peyton joked, smiling affectionately over at her husband.

Nathan laughed, resting his hand on Haley's back, smiling down at her. "I sure hope I can make it into the top ten," He said softly.

"You've already done it," Haley assured him, kissing his chin lightly.

Haley looked over and made eye contact with her dark haired best friend standing off to the side, covering her mouth. She could see the tears in Brooke's eyes, letting out a deep breath.

Before she knew it, she'd left Nathan's side, walking over and pulling Brooke into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Haley..." Brooke whispered, holding her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Brooke... I'm sure you helped him out a lot," She whispered to her friend, grinning brightly.

"You two are so amazing," Brooke said, smiling over at Nathan, letting out a deep breath. "I can't wait to be part of this with you, Haley..."

"He better treat you right," Brooke hummed, rubbing her back, "No more faking like he doesn't want to get married."

Haley nodded her head, letting out a deep breath. She glanced over her shoulder at Nathan, before he gaze shifted down to their son. "I love them so much," She said softly.

"Hold on to them," Brooke hummed, biting her lip and letting out a deep breath.

Quinn appeared next to them a second later, after shoving her camera into Clay's hands. "Hales!" She said, pulling both Brooke and Haley into a hug.

Haley smiled brightly, hugging her older sister and closing her eyes tightly, "Thank you, Quinn..."

"Oh, please... I practically begged Nathan to let me take pictures of you two," Quinn laughed, pressing a kiss to Haley's cheek, hugging her tightly. "I'm so proud of you two. Not to mention Mom and Dad told me I had to take pictures too."

"I feel so blessed, having everyone here," Haley whispered, looking around at her friends, letting out a deep breath.

"Yeah, you're lucky. You have great friends," Quinn said, grinning at her. "Clay and I are taking Jamie for the night, got it?"

"And Lucas and me are already cleaning up down here," Brooke said, gesturing to the candles that had already already started to blow out. "So you two can go."

"What?" Haley asked, shaking her head. "No, that's okay, we can help."

"No, it's not. You two go home," Brooke said, squeezing her shoulder, nodding over at Nathan. "Hey, Nate! Wrap it up!" She said, twirling her finger.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking over at her, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"Take Haley home," Quinn said, nudging Haley lightly. "Jamie gets to hang out with Aunt Quinn tonight."

Haley felt her cheeks heat up a little bit at the smirk that formed on Nathan's face.

"Okay," Nathan said, kneeling down, hugging Jamie tightly. "I love you, little man. Thanks for all your help," He whispered, bumping their fists together.

"I love you too!" Jamie said, hugging him, before rushing over to Haley. He hugged her legs tightly, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you for saying yes."

Haley smiled down at her boy, ruffling his hair, leaning over and kissing his head carefully.

Nathan walked over to her quickly, resting his hand on her back, letting out a deep breath. "Ready to go?"

Haley looked up at him, nodding and kissing him lightly, "Yeah. I'm ready." She said, her eyes wandering to Jamie once again. "You be a good boy, alright?"

"I always am," Jamie reminded her, giving her a thumbs up.

"That's right," Nathan said, smirking down at him. "We'll see you in the morning, buddy. Special family meeting, remember?"

"Of course!" Jamie said, hugging both of them quickly. "Love you," He hummed out, smiling up at them.

"Love you too, baby..." Haley said softly, glancing towards her friends. "Are you guys sure you don't want us to stay and help?"

"Positive," Peyton answered, winking at her. "You kids go have fun."

"And use prote-"

"Bye, Lucas," Nathan announced, sending him a scowl, resting his hand on Haley's back carefully.

"Good call," Lucas laughed, nodding at them. "Congrats, guys. I mean it."

"Go, go..." Brooke said, turning them away. "We're all going to start up the hugs and the tears again if you don't go how."

Haley laughed, letting her arm fall behind Nathan's, resting on his back as well, "Alright, thank you guys so much. I'm sure we'll see you tomorrow," She hummed, waving at Jamie once again, glancing towards the table where they'd sat nearly ten years ago for their first tutoring session, letting out a deep breath. Her smile grew as she looked over at Nathan, biting down on her lower lip.

Nathan sent her a knowing glance, before guiding her towards the car once again for the last time that night.

"Wait, I do actually have one more," He announced when they reached his car, letting out a deep breath. He reached underneath the passenger seat, pulling out one more piece of paper and smiling at her. "I debated on giving this one to you, because I feel like it's super cheesy."

"As if they all haven't been," Haley breathed out, smiling up at him. She opened it up, letting out a slow deep breath, "Mrs. Scott, always and forever," She read out, biting down on her lip and staring up at him, tears forming in her eyes once again.

Nathan smiled at her, cupping her cheeks gently, leaning down and kissing her softly, "What do you say, baby? Do you want to go home?"

"So badly," She answered, climbing into the car, winking up at him.

xxxx

"It's so beautiful," Haley whispered, holding up her left hand and admiring the engagement ring placed on her finger. The round cut diamond in the center was the perfect size, with smaller ones surrounding it, then some that trailed down the band.

Nathan smiled, kissing the top of her head that was rested on his chest, his hand coming in contact with hers, brushing his thumb along the diamond carefully. "We knew you'd love it," He informed her, glancing down at her.

"The fact that Jamie kept this a secret from me is shocking," She said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"He's a trooper," Nathan chuckled, looking down as her hand rested against his stomach, before she raised it up to admire the ring once more.

"The fact that you kept this from me is shocking as well," She informed him, lifting up her head. "I really thought you didn't want to marry me."

"How could I not?" Nathan said, grabbing onto her hand, guiding it over to his lips, kissing just above the ring. "This perfect hand was made for a ring given to you by yours truly."

Haley bit down on her bottom lip, feeling the waterworks start all over again. She meant it when she said that she could handle not being married to Nathan. But... This was a great feeling.

"It was a mean trick," She whispered to him, kissing him softly, nuzzling her nose against his.

"I almost gave in," Nathan said, pushing his hand through his hair. "Hell, I almost did it right after I bought the ring, after the championship game. The only reason I didn't do it in London was because I purposely left the ring here so I wouldn't do it. I've been planning this for so long, and within the last two weeks I've almost done it every single morning when I open my eyes and realize that I'm the luckiest man on earth."

Haley brushed her hand through his hair, smiling brightly at him. "You're going to be my husband," She said softly, kissing him briefly.

"You bet your sweet ass I am," Nathan said, laughing and pulling her on top of him. "I wanted Jamie to see it, that's one of the biggest reasons I waited. Plus, I spent months trying to figure out what to write on those damn notes."

Haley laughed, looking down at him, resting her hand on the pillow next to his head, watching as his eyes glanced over towards her hand. "I was a little crushed."

"I know you were," He admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands soothing up her back lightly. "I felt so horrible, Hales..."

"Don't lie to me anymore," She said, kissing him briefly. "Especially not when we're married. My husband is not supposed to lie to me."

He grinned up at her, kissing her quickly, nodding his head. "Nathan, Haley, and Jamie Scott," He said out loud, winking at her. "Has a nice ring to it. Here come the Scotts. Nathan and Haley Scott. That is, if you want to be Haley Scott."

Haley nodded quickly, pushing her hand through his hair, "I never liked being a James that much anyways." She joked, winking at him, resting her cheek against his chest.

"I love you," He whispered, stroking his fingers up her back lightly, letting out a deep breath.

"I love you too," She whispered, closing her eyes and smiling slightly. "I feel so overwhelmed right now," She said, sliding her hand up his bicep lightly. "I just can't believe how full my heart is."

"You tossed my CrackerJack box to the side like it was nothing," Nathan laughed, hugging her close to him. "My heart practically fell out of my chest. I was worried you were going to throw the damn thing in the water."

"In my defense, it usually is a sticker," She laughed, rolling off of him, holding up her hand once again to admire the ring he'd placed there.

"You were supposed to open it," He laughed, shaking his head, kissing her head.

"Well I'm sorry," She said, poking his chest. "I didn't know."

"You couldn't feel that it wasn't a sticker?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. "It's okay, I forgive you."

"I can't believe we're engaged," Haley said, sitting up quickly, tugging the bed sheets with her and staring down at him.

Nathan grinned, raising his eyebrows and looking up at her. "I've been holding into that thing for awhile," He hummed, sitting up slowly, stretching out his back.

Haley slid closer to him, kissing his shoulder lightly. "I'm so happy," She said, leaning against him.

"Me too, Haley," He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, looking down at her. "I'm sorry that I made you think I didn't want to marry you. I knew you'd figure it out..."

"I don't think I would have," She said, leaning against him. "It doesn't matter anymore, Nathan. We're engaged."

He nodded at her, holding her tightly. "I'm so thankful for you, Hales. I can't wait to spend my whole life appreciating you."

She smiled at him, looking up at him and letting out a deep breath. She brushed her fingers through his hair gently, smiling brightly at him. "I can't wait to marry you, Nathan."

Nathan grabbed her left hand, interlocking their fingers, looking down at her newest accessory, nodding his head. "I can't wait to marry you either, Haley James."


	36. Chapter 36

**This is just a fun little chapter that I enjoyed writing.**

 **Bruinsfan2014 said something about putting flashbacks in this story. That was originally something that I'd wanted to do, but I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in reading that. But I'd love to do that!**

 **Chapter 36**

"Haley, what are we-"

Haley cut him off, closing the door to the storage room she'd just pulled him into, turning around and throwing her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise, his hands coming at a rest to sides, eyes fluttering shut.

She parted from him, tugging on his tie lightly, nodding her head. "Clothes, quick," She said, pushing his jacket off his shoulders.

"What are you up to, Haley James?" He asked her, tilting his head back, squeezing his eyes shut as her lips attacked to the skin on his neck.

"I think that's a little obvious," She laughed, finally getting the knot in his tie out, tossing it to the side.

"In the middle of our engagement party?" He asked her, smirking slightly, glancing over to where his tie had landed. "Your whole family is out there, Jamie is-"

"Jamie has about a million baby sitters out there watching him," She said, working at the buttons on his shirt quickly.

"Valid point," He said, smirking slightly, pushing her back into the wall, next to the door, kissing her quickly.

She slid her hands up his torso, before her fingers locked behind his neck, pulling him closer to her.

Nathan felt around her back until he felt the zip on her dress, smoothing his fingers along it until he reached the zipper. He smirked against her mouth when she pressed herself up against him to lift her back up off the wall so it would be easier for him to unzip.

"It's so much easier to undress you than it is to undress me," He commented, parting from her and raising his eyebrows.

"Nathan, how much time do you honestly think we have?" She asked him, laughing. "This is our party, do you think people won't notice us missing? We can waste time talking, but-"

"I get it," He laughed, kissing her briefly, slipping his shirt off his shoulders. "Quick question, though."

Haley let out an exaggerated sigh, resting her hands on his chest, nodding. "Okay."

He smirked, pushing her back against the door, kissing her briefly, before lifting up his head. "Is this how the rest of my life is going to be?"

She laughed, stroking her fingers over his collarbone, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, so you better get used to it."

xxxx

"The door won't open," Haley commented, clearing her throat, smoothing her hands down her dress.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, finishing up tying his tie.

"Yeah, the door... It won't open," She said, tugging on the handle.

Nathan hurried forward, grabbing onto the handle, and pulling it. He let out a deep sigh, looking down at her. "Well this isn't good. You have your phone?"

"It's in my purse, which I let my sister borrow for some lipgloss," Haley sighed, looking over at him. "Do you?"

"Jamie was looking a little bored so I gave it to him," He groaned, tugging on the handle once more.

"Ugh, I hate when you do that. He plays such violent games and then he-"

"Haley, come on..." He said, gesturing around.

"You're right, not the time," She said, letting out a deep breath. She looked over at him, shaking her head, "What are we going to do?"

"Don't look at me, you're the smart one," He said, shrugging his shoulders, smoothing his hands down his shirt. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Really, Nathan? You weren't complaining a few minutes ago," She responded, looking over at him.

"My shirt is wrinkled," He said, looking down at her, shaking his head.

"This is not my fault, Nathan," She told him, letting out a deep breath, crossing her arms.

"I didn't pull you in here," He told her, tugging on the handle again.

"It's not going to open, Nathan. And do you really want to play this game with me? You've been at my side all night, doing some pretty heavy petting if you ask me!" She grumbled, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"What do you mean? Do you really think I'd purposely grab your ass while we're talking to your dad?" He asked her, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, Nathan. I do," She said, rolling her eyes. "And don't try and tell me it was an accident, because I know it wasn't."

"You didn't even flinch. It was awesome," Nathan laughed, smirking over at her. "Well done, Haley James."

"Not my first time," She said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath.

"What are we going to do?" He groaned, loosening his tie once again, leaning back against the door.

"Well, someone is bound to come down here eventually..." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"You'd think they would, but since you said that, we'll never be found," He grumbled, letting out a deep sigh. "Alright, if it comes down to it, I'll let you bash me over the head with one of these party decorations and eat me if you need to do it to survive."

"Okay, gross," She said, smacking his arm lightly, "I would never do that. And someone will come down here. This is a party, Nathan. I can guarantee there's awkward tension up there as your mom flings around Skills and introduces my parents to her boyfriend."

"I knew we shouldn't have invited him," He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "They've been going out for way to long. I don't know what's holding that relationship together."

Haley let out a deep sigh, stepping towards him, kissing him softly, "I'm sorry I brought you down here."

"No you're not. And I'm not sorry either. I was definitely dropping hints," He chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"We should've just done this at Tric, it would've been more fun, we could've dressed more casual," She said, shaking her head.

"Well, it's not like we had really any say. We didn't plan it," He hummed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close to him.

"I know, I know..." She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder. "What are we going to do, Nathan?" She groaned, shaking her head.

"Like you said, someone is bound to come down here eventually," He said simply, kissing her head.

"We could have sex again," She joked, looking up at him and winking.

He laughed, holding onto her tightly, "Oh, how I love you..." He whispered, smiling down at her.

"Mm... You better," She said, humming softly. "You know, this might not be so terrible... There are way too many people out there."

"Your fault," He hummed, kissing her head. "You have too many siblings."

"Oh yeah?" She asked him, laughing quietly. "How many kids are we going to have?"

"Five, I already told you that," He hummed, shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you think we have that many good years left?" She teased him, brushing her fingers over his chest.

"Definitely. Maybe we should go for eight or nine, beat your parents," He suggested, winking down at her.

"I don't see that happening, but you never know," She laughed, pressing a light kiss to the side of his neck.

"You can't resist me," He informed her, winking at her. "You think I'm sexy."

She laughed, raising her eyebrows and looking up at him, "Hm?" She responded, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Hales, I can make you putty in my hands within seconds of entering a room," He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I picture you eating a whole pizza in high school, and that puts an end to this conversation," She laughed, winking at him.

He flipped them around, pinning her up against the door, tilting his head down, kissing her neck lightly.

Haley's eyes fluttered shut, resting her hand on his bicep, shaking her head slightly. "Okay, okay... I think you've made your point clear."

"I love you," Nathan whispered against her skin, before lifting his head up and smiling at her, kissing her lips briefly. "I can't believe you locked me in a storage room."

"I didn't know that this would happen, Nathan..." She groaned, pushing him off of her. "I just find you so irresistible."

He laughed, stroking his fingertips over her collarbone, smirking down at her, "You've got a smokin' bod, Haley James..."

"Nathan Scott!" She groaned, pushing him again, laughing and rolling her eyes. "Make out with me some more, I guess..."

"Don't make it sound like you're being forced to say that," He laughed, kissing her forehead.

"My brain is forcing me to say that," She said, grabbing his tie, pulling him closer to her. "I don't even really like you."

"Oh?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrows. "Well, that kind of messes up all my plans."

"Maybe a little," She said, looking up at him, "We'll figure it out, don't worry," She hummed, fingering the knot on his tie, grinning up at him.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" He said, fake pouting down at her.

"I know that I'm funny," She said, kissing his chin. "Should we start banging on the door?"

"Kinky," He commented, smirking at her, pinching her side lightly.

"Shut it," She laughed, nuzzling her nose into his neck, hugging him tightly to her.

He laughed, pulling his jacket off his shoulders, pulling away from her so he could lean against the wall, sliding down it slowly. "I'm tired."

"Oh, hell, Nathan... It's not like it was hard work," She said, shaking her head and laughing.

"Haley, that ring makes you jump me every time you look at it," He chuckled, rubbing his hands down his face. "Not that I'm complaining, by any means. I'm just a little tired."

She smiled down at him, shaking her head. "Hey, I can ease up."

"No, no. I definitely don't want that," He said, smirking. "I don't want to be in here anymore, though," He informed her, laying his jacket on the ground next to him, tapping it lightly for her to sit down.

"Who taught you how to be such a gentleman?" She asked him, smiling brightly and sitting down on his suit jacket slowly, leaning against him.

"Well, it definitely wasn't my alcoholic mother or my controlling father," He informed her, laughing quietly. "It was some girl I met in high school."

"She must've been pretty great," She joked, smiling up at him.

"Eh, she was alright," He hummed, smirking slightly when she smacked his chest. "She was, she still is actually. Really great."

Haley let out a content sigh, resting her handing on his leg, "I love you," She informed him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too, even though you locked me in a storage room with a bunch of creepy decorations for all different occasional," He laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"Stop blaming this on me," She groaned, rolling her eyes and letting out a quiet sigh.

"Even though it's your fault?" He laughed, shaking his head.

"Yes, even though it's my fault. Don't blame me," She said, squeezing his leg lightly.

Nathan dropped his arm around her shoulders, smiling at her. "I don't regret a thing," He said, nodding down at her.

Haley held out her left hand, admiring the ring that was placed there for the millionth time that day.

"You keep staring at that ring. I think you like it more than you like me," He said, grabbing onto her left hand, looking down at it.

"I'm sorry, it's just so beautiful..." She trailed off, smiling at him. "I just can't believe you got this for me."

"You deserve so much more, Haley," He informed her, kissing her knuckle below the ring.

"You've given me everything, Nathan Scott. I'm serious when I say that. You've always given me the best present in my life, and that's our little guy," She hummed, smiling at him.

"I agree with that," He said quickly, squeezing her hand lightly, kissing her wrist. "This is kind of the worst, though."

"There could be worse people to be trapped in here with," She reminded him, standing up slowly.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, following her lead and standing up, picking up his jacket.

"I'm going to pound on the door some more. I'm a little hungry, and I want to go hug Jamie. Oh, and take your phone from him," She laughed, knocking on the door.

"I'm sure people are wondering where the hell we are, it's our party," He chuckled, following her lead and hitting on the door. "Nothing good ever comes from leaving a party to have sex."

"Not true, at all," She laughed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I had a great time, you wonderful man."

He smiled, kissing the back of her head, "I had the best time. So much better than talking to a bunch of people at the party."

"No more over friendly touching," She scolded him, "Or else I might drag you back in here and the we'll be trapped all over again."

He laughed, "We'll see if we ever get out of here. You know that I can only last a few hours without having sex in the off season, or else I get grouchy," He hummed, sliding his arms around her waist.

"I haven't really dated you in the off season for very long, so I might rethink that if I were you," She laughed, resting her hands over his.

"These few weeks have been proof enough," He hummed, pushing her hair to the side, pressing a light kids to the side of her neck.

"Do not start this again, Nathan... We're getting out of here soon," She hummed, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm not, I'm just kissing your neck," He laughed, pounding on the door heavily, looking down at her. "Who do we want to find us?"

"Quinn, please. Or Peyton, or Jake," Haley said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "Vivian would judge, my brothers and Taylor would act immature. Brooke would tease us, Lucas would act weird. My mom or dad would joke about it for years. Your mom would be awkward, especially if Skills was with her-"

"Enough with the jokes about Skills," Nathan grumbled, leaning down slightly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Mm, I'm sorry, baby..." She said, leaning back against him, hitting her fist on the door once more.

"I have a training camp in a couple of weeks," He informed her, yawning and shaking his head.

"I know, I keep track of your schedule now," She laughed, closing her eyes and humming softly.

"You probably know more about it than I do," Nathan laughed, pressing another kiss to her skin. "You can sleep on me, and I'll sleep on the ground if we have to stay here tonight."

"How kind of you," She commented, shaking her head and smiling. "But we do have a six year old son who we're supposed to take home tonight, and we aren't irresponsible parents that would just cut out on him, so eventually... Someone will find us."

"I don't care who takes Jamie home, I'm just glad your whole family isn't staying with us," He laughed, nuzzling his nose against her skin, sliding his fingers over her stomach.

"There's the over friendly touching I was talking about," She joked, humming softly. "I'm thankful for that too. The James Clan is too much to handle sometimes."

"Yeah, it sucks that they didn't bring their spouses though, I really like Vivian's husband," Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "Plus Jamie is so bored."

"Not after you gave him violent video games," She responded, tugging on his arms lightly.

"Oh, quiet you. He's not playing a violent video game," He informed her, poking her lightly. "Let me try the door again."

She stepped out of the way, watching him tug on the handle. She admired the way she could see his biceps trying hard to pull the door open through his fitted shirt. She leaned back slightly, watching his back muscles do the same.

"Making you feel hot all over again?" He asked, smirking over at her, raising his arm and flexing his bicep.

"Well, you obviously can't pull open the door, and we're stuck here for a little while. What else are we supposed to do?" She joked, stepping towards him, taking his jacket from him, laying it across one of the standing decorations near them.

Nathan looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. "Are you serious?" He questioned her.

"Yeah, why not?" She said simply, "Just keep your hands out of my hair, and I'll keep mine out of yours," She laughed, walking over to him, grabbing onto his tie, pulling him towards her.

He blinked down at her, wrapping one arm around his waist, the other grabbing onto her leg, hitching it up to his waist, smirking slightly. "You don't have to tell me twice," He said, leaning down and kissing her quickly.

Haley's hands slowly worked at his tie, eyes fluttering shut as they kissed, parting her lips for him to slide is tongue in easily.

Nathan pushed her dress up a bit, stroking his hand over the newly exposed skin, his grip on her waist tightening.

Haley finally undid the knot in his tie, using the loose ends to pull him closer to her, arms twining around his neck for more leverage.

After a moment, she pulled back, fingers beginning to work the buttons on his shirt, peppering his chest with kisses as she did so, untucking his shirt from his pants.

Nathan had made the comment about her being putty in his hand earlier, but right now he was practically melting at her feet. His heart was pounding as he watched her slowly kiss down his torso.

She was on her knees in front of him, her hands beginning to undo his belt buckle, when they heard the door handle move.

They only had a moment to send each other a panicked 'oh shit' look, before Haley was jumping up to her feet and the door opened.

"Mouth," Haley said quickly, letting out a deep breath. "Hey."

"Uh, hey guys..." Mouth trailed off, raising his eyebrows as he looked at them.

"The door was jammed," Nathan informed him, rubbing his neck and looking over at him.

"Sure, sure..." Mouth said, clearing his throat. "Bad time?"

"No, we've been stuck in here for awhile, waiting for someone," Haley said quickly, shoving Nathan's jacket into his chest, gesturing for him to hurry.

"Right, um... Well, sorry, uh... Everyone was just kind of looking for you," He responded, a grin forming on his face.

"Tell them Haley was second guessing our engagement and I was trying to talk her down," Nathan said quickly, smirking slightly as he began to do up the buttons on his shirt.

"What, you don't want me to tell them what you were actually doing?" Mouth asked them, raising his eyebrows.

"Wipe that grin off, Marvin," Haley said quickly, grabbing the door from him. "Thanks for opening the door."

"That's only from her, not from me. I wish the door would have stayed closed for a little bit longer," Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders.

"A whole minute or so, right?" Mouth asked him, smirking slightly.

"Get out of here," Nathan said, pointing away, shaking his head and scowling.

"Alright, alright. I'll just tell them I didn't find you, but I'd hurry," Mouth responded, laughing and walking down the hall.

"It would've been more than a minute," Nathan said quickly once he was gone, nodding at her.

"That's what you're going to say, Nathan? That was so embarrassing," Haley groaned, shaking her head.

"How ironic is it that Mouth found us though?" He said, smirking slightly, tying his tie again.

She sent him a dirty look, shaking her head and scowling slightly. "Not the time," She said, grabbing onto his hand. "Let's stop at the restroom so I can reapply my lipstick, and you can take your lipstick off."

He laughed, rubbing at his lips, rolling his eyes. "That was pretty hot though, I'm not going to lie."

"You say that every time I do anything," She grumbled, grabbing onto his hand.

"Because its true," He laughed, kissing her cheek lightly.

Haley smiled at him, shaking her head and squeezing his hand, "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go face the embarrassing situation and hope that Jamie doesn't ask questions later."


	37. Chapter 37

**Okay... I LOVE this chapter. I don't know what it is exactly. It has a flashback in it, and I really enjoyed writing that. It's a little bit shorter but I really like it! Thank you for reading!**

 **Chapter 37**

Haley let out a slow, deep breath, glancing over at the time and shaking her head. She raised her hands to massage the back of her neck lightly, clearing her throat and closing her eyes.

Of course this was happening. Not that it would be completely horrible, by any means... But of course. Because he was Nathan, and some way or another, it was bound to happen again. Of course.

She couldn't help but think about the last time she was in this position, Nathan was next to her. Now he was in another city, completely clueless, while she was standing alone, completely stressed out.

She rubbed at her neck, trying to relieve her tension as she waited. It had been a long time since they'd been here, and if someone would've told her she'd be here at around this time last year, she would've laughed in their face.

She let out a deep breath, allowing her mind to wander to several years ago.

xxxx

 _Haley twisted her hands nervously, biting down on her lip and looking over at Nathan. She let out a deep breath when his hand moved over to envelope hers, leaning back against the couch._

 _"Would you stop thinking so loudly?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and offering her a small, weak smile._

 _"Would you start thinking loudly? I can't read you, Nathan..." Haley trailed off, squeezing his hand lightly, before dropping it, pushing her hands through her hair._

 _"I don't know what you want me to say, Haley," Nathan said, clearing his throat and leaning back, rubbing his hands down his face. "This is a lot."_

 _"Do you think I don't know that, Nathan?" She snapped at him, before sucking in a deep breath, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees, staring at the ground._

 _Nathan sighed softly, reaching over and rubbing her back lightly, "Haley, I'm sorry..." He said, shaking her head. "It's just a big deal, I mean... My dad is going to kill me," He said, squeezing his eyes shut._

 _"Well, I'm glad that's your biggest concern, Nathan," She said, pushing his hand off of her, sitting up slowly._

 _Nathan shook his head, "Sorry," He said softly, reaching over and grabbing onto her hand. "I just... I don't know, Hales."_

 _"Me too..." She said, brushing her thumb over his knuckles, slouching over and sighing softly. "I can't believe this," She groaned, looking over at her stressed out boyfriend, dropping his hand once again and standing up quickly._

 _Nathan jumped up to his feet soon after her, watching her as she began to pace back and forth._

 _"Haley..." He trailed off, raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat._

 _"Don't say it's going to be okay, Nathan! That's not what I want!" She said, turning to him and pointing her finger at him._

 _"I don't know what's going to happen, babe..." He trailed off, running his hand through his hair. "I'm going to call Coach K and let me him know that I'm sick and can't go to practice today, okay?" He said, stepping forward, grabbing onto her wrist._

 _"Okay," She responded, beginning to pace again, watching as Nathan left the room. She glanced at the clock again, shaking her head slowly. She had a class in ten minutes, and she definitely wasn't going to make it._

 _Seconds ticked by like hours. Their whole future was going to come down to this._

 _It made her feel a little sick just thinking about it._

 _She had not even noticed when Nathan entered the room again, until he was pulling her into a hug._

 _"Haley," He said softly, looking down at her and nodding his head slowly. "We're going to be fine. It's just a scare, I'm sure..."_

 _Haley could see the fear in his eyes. He looked terrified, despite the brave face he was trying to put on for her, and the strong tone._

 _"You don't have to-"_

 _"Quiet," He said, shaking his head. "Let's just sit and wait, okay?" He said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, sitting down on the couch slowly._

 _At six minutes, she stood up slowly, gripping Nathan's hand tightly in her own. She looked over at him, nodding her head slowly._

 _"Ready?" She asked him softly, raising her eyebrows._

 _"Not really..." Nathan trailed off, squeezing her hand, his gaze shifting towards the bathroom door. "Definitely not ready," He said quietly, before guiding her towards the door slowly._

 _Haley could hear her heart pounding louder with each foot step, Nathan could've been talking to her the whole time, and she'd never know._

 _His hand stopped on the door handle, his eyes wide as he looked down at her._

 _Haley wanted to say something to comfort him, but there were no words to say. She wasn't feeling very comforted herself, honestly, and he'd been trying to do so the last few minutes._

 _She finished pushing the door open, looking at the white stick laying on the countertop. He eyes moved back over to Nathan, who had his own eyes squeezed shut in a last prayer that this wasn't actually happening to them._

 _She took a step forward, picking it up gingerly and looking down at it._

 _Positive._

 _She felt tears well in her eyes as she looked at Nathan, opening her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. All she could do was nod her head slowly._

 _Part of her expected two big strong arms to envelope her, and begin to assure her that it was okay, that they'd figure it out together._

 _But that wasn't the case._

 _She watched as he took a step backwards, and knew exactly what he was about to do._

 _"I have to go," Nathan said quickly, taking another step back, clearing his throat and meeting her eyes again. "I have to go," He repeated, before turning and bolting out of the room._

 _Haley leaned against the wall, sinking down slowly and letting out a deep breath, listening as she heard the door to their apartment slam shut._

 _She looked down at the positive pregnancy test once again, biting down on her lip and shaking her head, pressing her face into her knees, letting out a sob._

 _She couldn't believe she was pregnant. They'd been careful, they'd always been careful. Of course, nothing was one hundred percent effective, and he was a Scott, and Scotts were the kings of knocking people up despite any measures taken to prevent it._

 _She should've expected him to run away. His father had drilled a baby being a bad thing into his mind for years in order to make himself looks like a better guy. According to Dan Scott, when you had a baby, any life you previously planned was finished, and now all you could be was a parent. Forget the NBA, he'd be wearing diaper bags and bouncing a baby instead of a basketball._

 _He'd just been so calm through out the whole process until they looked at the test. Maybe he'd been sure that it wouldn't be positive, and that's why he was calm._

 _Hell, he'd already called in to skip out on basketball practice, so he was probably going to blame that one on her too._

 _She knew living together at Duke was a bad idea too, because they'd have permanent access to each other. And Nathan was always ready to have sex with her. Always. She'd jump in the shower, and then two minutes later he'd be in there, pinning her up against the wall. They'd both be exhausted after a long day of school and tutoring and practice, and they'd go to bed and all the sudden he'd be pressed against her, sucking on her neck and acting as if his body had not just gone through hours of exercise._

 _Maybe they wouldn't be in this situation if he wasn't so damn horny all the damn time._

 _She let out another deep breath, hugging her knees tighter against her. She wasn't going to make excuses for him. It's not like this is what she wanted either. This was so hard, and so scary for her too, yet he'd just walked out on her like their relationship was nothing._

 _She stood up slowly, smoothing her hand over her flat stomach, biting down on her lip lightly. If the test was right... There was another person growing inside of her. A mixture of her, and the man she loved._

 _Maybe it was scary, but at least the outcome would be amazing._

 _She couldn't help but smile at the thought of holding a little baby._

 _The thought of her and Nathan having kids wasn't foreign to her. Hell, they'd discussed it multiple times. But that had always been something in the future. Sometimes the future comes a little quicker than expected._

 _She bit down on her lip hard, walking out of the bathroom, feeling a little bit like she was floating, her head spinning. She stepped into their bedroom, laying down on the neatly made bed. She rolled onto her side, resting her hand on her stomach and letting out a deep breath, looking to where her usually so caring boyfriend should be laying right now._

 _She understood that he was scared, completely. And she'd understand if he needed some time alone, but he just left her to deal with the shock by herself. She had no idea where he'd gone, or if he was even going to come back._

 _Haley squeezed her eyes shut, and curled up slightly, letting out another sob as she pressing her face into the pillow._

 _She woke up a few hours later to a familiar weight sinking down on the bed by her feet. She lifted up her head and looked over at him, letting out a deep breath._

 _"Nathan..." She trailed off, eyeing her boyfriend and sitting up slowly._

 _Nathan scooted towards her, wiping at her cheek, trying to get the make up stains off her face. "You've been crying."_

 _"I'm scared," She admitted to him, tugging her face away from his hand, sighing softly._

 _"Me too," He told her, clearing his throat and pushing his hand trough his hair._

 _"You left me," She said, scooting away from him and wrapping her arms around herself._

 _"I shouldn't have," He said, looking over at her and letting out a deep breath. "I went to practice, and Coach kicked me out because I was playing like shit and he thought I was sick."_

 _"I needed you with me and you left me," She said again, smacking his arm and hugging her knees to her chest once again._

 _"I know," Nathan said, resting his hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Hales... I'm not ready to be a dad, I mean... I have so much stuff left that I want to do-"_

 _"Do you think I'm ready to be a mom, Nathan? Honestly," She bit out, lifting her head up and glaring at him. "Just get out of her if that's what you're going to do, Dan..."_

 _"You didn't let me finish, Hales..." He chuckled, scooting closer to her, sliding his arm around her shoulders. "I love you, okay? And that means something to me..." He trailed off, nodding at her. "I love you, and we're going to be okay."_

 _She looked up at him, biting her lip and nodding for him to continue speaking._

 _"My father thought kids restricted him, but he restricted himself by thinking that, and I'm not going to let myself do that, okay? We're going to get through this, together. It's you and me, Haley James. Well now it you, me, and the kid..." He said, sliding his hand over her stomach, letting out a deep breath._

 _Haley felt herself relax, leaning into him and squeezing her eyes shut, beginning to cry again at his sweet words. "I really needed to hear you say that, Nathan..." She whispered to him._

 _"I needed to say it," He responded, kissing the top of her head and letting out a deep breath. "I guess we better look into getting you a doctor's appointment or something, just to ensure that you are actually pregnant."_

 _"Just be here with me for now, alright?" She said softly, looking up at him. "I just need you to hold me, because I'm scared, and you make me feel less afraid."_

 _He nodded at her, scooting down the bed, pulling her down with him, hugging her close to his chest. "We're going to be alright," He whispered to her again, sliding his hand underneath her shirt, ghosting his fingertips over her stomach lightly._

 _Haley smiled slightly, glancing down at his hand and letting out a deep breath, "I love you, Nathan," She whispered._

 _Nathan kissed her head again, holding her tightly to him, to offer her, and himself some type of comfort. "I love you too, baby..."_

 _Haley nodded her head, letting out a deep breath. They'd figure things out, they always did._

xxxx

Haley remembered every detail so vividly, the fear, the anger... She remembered how it felt to fall even deeper in love with Nathan at his sweet words of reassurance. And here they were, coming up on seven years later, plenty of hardships and trials... But they were okay. His words still rang true.

She needed him right now though. She didn't want to do this without him. Hell, she couldn't believe she'd even tried to do this without him. She couldn't do this without him.

Of course, the situation was a little different now. They wouldn't have to worry about money, or going through school with a baby. But she still felt scared. She was afraid that everything would happen all over again, and she really needed Nathan here to reassure her.

She let out a deep breath, tossing the test in the trash without looking at it, shaking her head. She pulled out her phone and checked the time, it was nearing eleven o'clock, and he'd called her an hour ago to let her know that he was going to sleep. She shook her head, finding his contact and calling him quickly.

It was a few rings before he finally picked up.

"Hello?" He asked her, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Hi, Nathan... Sorry to call you so late, I know you were asleep..." Haley let out a shaky breath, biting her lip and stepping out of the bathroom, sitting down on the bed.

"It's okay, baby... Are you alright?" He asked her, clearing his throat and yawning quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I just needed to hear your voice right now," She assured him, biting down on her bottom lip.

"You don't sound very sure of yourself..." He trailed off, frowning.

"No, really. I just miss you," She said to him, pushing her fingers through her hair.

"I'll be home in two days," He said to her, letting out a small sigh. "I'll probably be grouchy though, so you might want to kick me to the guest room in advance," He told her, laughing quietly.

"I can handle it," She laughed, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Don't feel sorry, Hales... You're just about the only person that can call me while I'm asleep that I don't get angry about," He assured her.

"I love you, Nathan..." She breathed out, biting down onto her bottom lip.

"I love you too, Haley. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked her, frowning. "I know my girl, and she's not sounding super happy right now."

"I'm really alright, honey... I just miss you," She told him, brushing her hand over the comforter beneath her.

"Oh yeah? And what do you miss about me?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley could hear the smirk in his voice, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, smiling brightly.

"I miss your smile, and your laugh. I miss how you make my heart flutter when you walk into a room, and how you make me feel spoiled and protected," She told him, crossing her legs.

"Okay, I was hoping to get a little sexy talk in before I went back to sleep, but those things work too..." Nathan joked, laughing quietly.

"Yeah, better save that for when you get home. I love you, Nathan Scott. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" She said softly into the phone, letting out a deep breath.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathan asked her again.

"I'm fine, Nathan, really..." She trailed off, pushing her hand through her hair.

"Alright, well... I love you too. Don't hesitate to call me again," He said, clearing his throat. "Talk to you tomorrow."

Haley bit her lip, hanging up the phone and looking down at the bed beneath her. Talking to him already made her feel a little bit better.

She stood up slowly, twisting her ring on her finger slightly. She walked out of the room, heading into Jamie's room.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, looking down at him and smiling slightly.

Staring down at him definitely made her feel less afraid. Jamie was the light of her world, the light of their world. He had not been planned either, but he meant everything. From the moment they'd seen him on the ultrasound, heard his heartbeat, it had been a whole shift in emotion. They'd been terrified still, but they'd fallen in love with him, and that helped balance things out.

She smoothed her hand over Jamie's back, laying down on her side next to him, letting out a deep breath. She couldn't believe that he was six now.

Her gaze moved over to the little rabbit cage set up on the table in his room, rolling her eyes at the proof of their son's birthday not too long ago.

They'd almost had to move the cage from his room because he wouldn't stop getting out of bed to talk to Chester the bunny. Her or Nathan would check on him, and he'd stare at them like a deer in headlights, and apologize quickly before climbing back into bed. And then sure enough, half an hour later, he'd be up again.

He'd only recently started going I bed and actually staying in bed, despite having the rabbit for quite awhile.

Her baby boy wasn't so little anymore, and the thought of that made her scoot closer to Jamie, kissing his head softly.

He cuddled up closer to her in his sleep, making her grin. Okay, he was still her little cuddle bug, and she hoped that wouldn't change for awhile. As he got older though, she could feel pieces of her missing. He'd learned to do things for himself that she would normally help him with. She'd just about sobbed as she watched Nathan teach him how to ride his bike.

If she were to be pregnant... Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible. Of course, she wanted to be married for a little while before they started trying to have another baby. But if he held true to his name, and had gotten her pregnant, she'd be okay with that.

Of course she'd be okay. As she looked down at Jamie, there was no doubt in her mind that they would be perfectly fine. They'd done it before, and they'd gotten the most amazing son out of it.

So whether it was true or not, as Nathan had assured her so many years ago, they'd be alright. They always would be.

With another kiss to Jamie's head, she allowed herself to relax into his bed, and fall asleep with her little miracle curled up against her.


	38. Chapter 38

**Okay, I just couldn't help updating this story again...**

 **Chapter 38**

Nathan raised his eyebrows as he watched a very distracted Haley from across the airport. Something was off with her, he just knew it. She'd denied anything being wrong when he asked her, but he saw through her.

She hadn't even noticed him standing not too far from her, despite her claim of excitement to see him. She looked deep in thought.

He was also a little confused why there wasn't a rambunctious six year old running into his arms and asking him all about his week in Charlotte.

He finally began to walk over to her, clearing his throat. "Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, pulling is wallet out of his pocket.

Haley offered him a smile, laughing quietly at his words, pulling him into a hug, "They're worth way more than that, what else do you have in there?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I think I have something you might be a little more interested in," He said, smirking and leaning down an kissing her softly, lifting her up off the ground.

"That works," Haley responded, grinning at him, pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, where's Jamie?" He asked, looking around and frowning slightly.

"I told Jamie that you weren't coming home for another three hours, so he's with Peyton and Jenny right now," She informed him, clearing her throat, sliding her hand into his.

"Oh?" He asked her, frowning slightly, beginning to follow her out of the airport towards the parking lot.

"Yeah, I um... Hope you don't mind. We just have some things we need to talk about," She informed him, glancing over at him.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking down at her and clearing his throat. "We do?"

"Yep," She hummed, pressing her lips together tightly, letting out a deep breath.

"Haley, you're kinda freaking me out," He said quietly to her, glancing around and shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I asked you if you were okay, and you keep telling me you are."

"I am okay, Nathan," Haley responded quickly, squeezing his hand. "I found a lucky parking spot," She informed him, humming softly.

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion as he watched her approach her car, his hand still clasping her's tightly. "Want me to drive?"

"No, I'll drive," She informed him, letting out a small sigh, thanking him quietly when he opened her door for her. She watched as he tossed his bag into the back seat, before hurrying to the passenger door, getting in.

It was quiet for a little while, Haley could feel Nathan's concerned eyes on her, and she just wanted to push them away. She really did appreciated how much he cared for her, but she'd explain everything as soon as they got home.

"How was practice today?" She asked him, glancing over at him and offering him a small smile.

"Fine. What's wrong?" He asked her, resting his hand on her leg. "You're worrying me, Haley. I know something is up. Why did you tell Jamie that I still had a few more hours, then ship him off to our friends' house?"

"Because I need to talk to you without little ears listening in, or distracting you, Nathan. But I don't want to do it while I'm driving," She informed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Is it something that I won't like?" He asked her, frowning and shaking his head.

"I don't know, babe..." She trailed off, rubbing at her neck and glancing in his direction again.

"Are we fighting right now?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat. "Did I do something?"

Haley laughed, shaking her head and grabbing onto his hand, raising it up to kiss his knuckles lightly. "No, Nathan, we're not fighting, okay? I really just don't want to talk about it while I'm driving, because I can't look at you."

"I knew something was wrong, Haley... You tried to tell me you were fine, but I knew you weren't," He groaned, letting out a deep breath. "Tell me."

"I'm fine, Nathan. Really," She assured him, nodding her head and smiling slightly.

"Why can't Jamie be here?" He asked her, frowning. "Are we going to have sex?"

"No," She said, shaking her head and laughing. "Would you relax? We're almost home, and I told you why I don't want to talk about it yet."

Nathan sighed, leaning back in his seat and looking over at her, squeezing her hand lightly. "I'm just worried about you, baby."

"I understand, Nathan, but I'm alright, I promise," She said, shrugging her shoulders.

After a few more minutes of silence, Haley pulled her car into the garage, getting out slowly.

Nathan arrived at her side a few moments later, looking down at her and nodding expectantly. "I have a feeling that I won't like what you're going to say."

"We'll see, honey..." She said, standing on her toes and kissing him softly. "Come on," She said, linking their hands once again, pulling him inside.

He let out an annoyed sigh, looking over at her. "Haley, you would just tell me what's going on? You're scaring me, and I'm going to start freaking out if you don't."

She let out a deep breath, looking up at him and squeezing her eye shut for a second. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "I missed you," She whispered.

"I missed you too, baby..." He responded, kissing her head and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

She took a step away from him, letting out a deep breath, pulling the hair tie out of her hair, letting it fall down her shoulders. She looked up at him, grabbing onto his hand.

"I think I'm pregnant," Haley finally informed him, clearing her throat.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, looking down at her. "Come again?" He asked her, leaning forward a little bit.

"I think I'm pregnant, Nathan," Haley said, pushing her hands through her hair, letting out a deep breath. "I haven't taken a test- well, I did take a test but I didn't look at it because I wanted you to be here. That's why I called you after you'd gone to bed the other night, because I was freaking out a little bit and I wanted to hear your voice. I don't know for sure but I-"

"Haley," He stopped her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down, okay? Breathe, stop rambling."

"I'm sorry, I just... I didn't want to tell you on the phone, and I didn't want to find out without you with me..." She trailed off, biting her lip and looking up at him. "What do you think?"

He looked down at her, kissing her deeply, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly, holding her against him.

Haley blinked in surprise, resting her hands on his sides, gripping his t-shirt tightly, letting her eyes flutter shut.

He pulled back after a second, grinning down at her. "You were freaking out about my reaction? Haley, we already have a kid, I don't see the point in freaking out if you are."

"I know, but we just got engaged, and I thought we could enjoy married life for a little bit before we-"

"We already have Jamie, so the married without kids thing doesn't really apply to our situation, baby," He laughed, hugging her tightly to him, resting his chin on her head. "I want to have as many kids as I can get out of you, Haley. I don't see the point in waiting," He said simply.

"Okay," She let out a breath of relief, smiling up at him and biting her lip lightly.

"Do you have a test?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and nodding down at her.

"Yeah, it's upstairs in the bathroom," She told him, nodding her head and letting out a deep breath.

"Well then what the hell are we standing down here for? Let's go find out if I knocked you up again."

xxxx

Haley looked over at Nathan, blinking slightly. She thought back to the last time they were in this position once again, a small smile on her face at how different the reactions were.

Last time he had assured her that it probably wasn't true, and now he was fidgeting from excitement because he couldn't wait to see.

She wasn't entirely sure what reaction to expect from him, but she was thankful for the one he gave her. It eased her almost completely.

"I can't believe you might be pregnant," He said, grinning at her and letting out a deep breath. "God, I want a girl, Haley... One just like you..." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"Might, Nathan... Might," She said, gripping his hand tighter, letting out a deep breath. "This isn't great timing though, you know that, right?"

"Why not?" Nathan asked her, raising his eyebrows. "It's perfect timing. You're out of school."

"Not for nine months though, Nathan, and basketball season is going to be in full swing," She said, letting out a deep breath.

"We'll figure it out, Hales," He assured her, smiling at her. "This isn't bad timing. This would never be bad timing."

Haley smiled at his words, letting out a deep breath. "What about our wedding?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows. "I don't want to look pregnant when we get married."

Nathan thought for a second, looking down at her and shrugging his shoulders slightly. "You can stand behind me?"

She laughed, smacking his arm and shaking her head, rolling her arms. "We could postpone..."

"We don't even have a date set and you want to postpone? No way..." He said, frowning at her. "We could get married next month."

Haley choked, looking at him and raising her eyebrows. "Next month?"

"Yeah... Why not?" Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders, grabbing onto her left hand and looking down at the ring there. "I want I marry you."

"I want to marry you so badly, Nathan... But next month? That's so soon..." She trailed off, biting her lip.

"Well, if you're pregnant, we do it next month, if you're not... We wait until October or whenever we were thinking," He said, nodding down at her, holding onto her hand tightly.

"See, I knew you weren't listening when I was telling you- Okay, never mind..." She trailed off, rubbing her neck and looking over at him. "It's going to be a lot of work, Nathan. Brooke is going to kill me."

"It's not Brooke's wedding, she can handle it," Nathan assured her, kissing her cheek carefully.

"She's making my dress," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders and letting out a deep breath.

"And I'm sure you will look stunning," He hummed, biting down on his lip, his gaze flickering to our stomach. "Not too tight though, don't want to do anything to our baby girl."

Haley smiled softly at his words, scooting closer to him and letting out a deep breath. "What if I'm not pregnant?"

"Then that's fine too," He said simply, shrugging his shoulders, flattening his palm over her stomach. "But she's in there, I can feel it."

"What if we have another boy?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and flashing him a grin.

"Sell him to Brooke and Lucas and try again," He said, leaning forward and kissing her softly, leaving his forehead rested on hers. "This isn't what I thought I was going to come home to..."

She let out a deep breath, kissing him again, squeezing her eyes shut. "It's silly, but part of me was worried you would be unhappy and run away."

"Oh, baby..." He trailed off, shaking his head quickly. "I wouldn't, Haley... Never again." He assured her quickly, cupping her cheek. "No, no... Please never think anything like that."

"I knew you wouldn't, but part of me was scared you would," She said, biting her lip lightly, letting out a deep breath.

"I was scared, Haley. But I'm not scared now," He said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Are you scared?"

"A little bit," She said, clearing her throat and looking down. "But it helps me that you're not scared."

He chuckled quietly, nodding his head and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly into his side. "You know, Haley James, you have nothing to be scared of when I'm around. I'll always protect you."

"Can you protect me from nine months of pregnancy and then going into labor? I just want the baby," She laughed, shaking her head and winking at him.

"Well, um... No," He laughed, kissing her forehead. "But I'll protect you from other stuff. You know, like assholes, and robots, and aliens. Things like that."

"My hero," She hummed, winding her arm around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder.

He looked down at her, brushing his fingers over her shoulder, letting out a deep breath. "I was worried about you, Hales..."

"I know, but I didn't want to tell you on the phone, or while I was driving. I wanted to be able to look at you," She said, gripping his shirt and letting out a deep breath.

He looked down at her stomach, smiling slightly, reaching his other hand over, resting it there. "You're so incredible, Haley..."

"You don't even know if I'm pregnant yet, Nathan," She said, shaking her head and smiling. "I'm glad you're happy about this, though."

"It doesn't matter if you're pregnant or not. You're incredible," He said, smiling at her, nodding his head.

She stared up at him, biting her lip and nodding. "Okay," She responded, grabbing onto his hand tightly, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "You take good care of me, Nathan. I need you."

"Don't you dare start crying, Haley..." He laughed, laying back against the bed and letting out a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling.

She looked down at him, resting her hand on his leg. "How are we going to do this though, Nathan?"

"You're worrying way too much, babe," He laughed, scratching his hand over her back.

"I constantly worry," She reminded him, glancing down at him. "I just... I don't know. I don't mind taking time off work, Nathan. But I love my job."

"You don't have to quit your job, Haley," He said quickly, sitting up and shaking her head. "We could hire a nanny..."

She looked at him, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head. "As if," She snorted, smacking his knee lightly.

"Okay, forget that..." He said, sighing softly.

"You're gone for most of the year, I can't help but think like this. Say I'm a month along, so that would put this baby somewhere probably in London, alright?" She said, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath. "So after Jamie's birthday, probably around the twentieth of June. So that would put my due date in late Marchish. Basketball season is going to be busy. I could take the rest of the year off for maternity leave, and then what?"

"Relax, Hales..." He laughed, rubbing her back and shaking his head. "You're talking about something we can figure out when it gets closer. We don't even know if you're pregnant."

"I'm a planner, Nathan..." She said quickly, brushing her fingers through her hair.

He looked over when the alarm on his phone went off, before his eyes moved to her, raising his eyebrows. "Ready?"

"Sure," She said, letting out a deep breath and standing up, looking down at him.

"Haley," He said, standing up and grabbing onto her arm. "It doesn't matter to me what it says, okay? If you're pregnant, great. If you're not, great. We can plan a baby according to our schedules," He chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"Okay," She said, nodding up at him. "Okay," She repeated, biting her lip.

Nathan slid his hand down her arm, grabbing onto her hand and interlocking their fingers. He stepped towards the bathroom, letting out a slow, deep breath.

He suddenly felt his heart start pounding. Despite the fact that they already had a child... This was a big moment in their life together. This was big not only for them, but for Jamie... But he was sure that Jamie would be ecstatic.

"Nathan?" Haley asked him, clearing her throat and raising her eyebrows.

Nathan pressed her up against the doorway quickly, leaning down and capturing her lips in a searing kiss, one that made him want to pick her up and take her right back into the bedroom behind them. But they had bigger fish to fry in that moment.

"I love you, Haley," He whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear, nodding down at her.

She sent him a small smile, brushing her fingers down his chest, "I love you too, Nathan. Whenever you're ready."

Nathan nodded his head, looking down at her and kissing her once more, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Okay..." He said, biting his lip to keep the grin from forming on his face.

Haley glanced up at him and smiled slightly. His excitement made her feel excited, at the very least, less worried.

She guiding him forward, looking over at him and he squeezed his eyes shut, listening for her voice.

Haley picked up the test slowly, letting out a deep breath, looking over at him one more time, before looking down at the test.

"It's positive," She told him, biting her lip and shifting her gaze to him quickly.

Nathan blinked his eyes open quickly, allowing the grin to form on his face. "What? Let me see," He said, stepping forward, looking down at it. He let out what could only be described as a victory shout, staring down at her.

"Haley! You're pregnant!" He cheered, pulling her up into a tight hug, lifting her up off the ground and spinning around.

"I'm pregnant," She repeated, cupping his cheeks and kissing him deeply, holding onto him tightly.

Nathan set her down on the ground, his hand moving around her body to rest on her stomach, parting from her lips momentarily, his eyes wide.

She looked up at him, smiling brightly. Good lord, this man was in love with her, and had wanted her to be pregnant and he'd been holding back for the last few minutes while they waited.

"We're having another baby," He said, his eyes meeting hers.

Haley brushed her thumbs over his cheekbones as she saw tears well in the corners of his eyes. One of her hands dropped down to his, wanting to coo at how adorable it was that he was getting emotional, but deciding against it.

Nathan leaned down and kissed her gently, allowing his arms to slide around her waist once again, pulling her body against his.

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair as she kissed him slowly.

Nathan backed her up against the counter, lifting her up slowly and stepping in between her parted legs, one of his hands sliding between them to rest on her stomach one again.

She smiled against his mouth, pulling him closer to her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting her arms settle on his shoulders, pushing her fingertips into his shirt collar.

"You know, I'm thinking having sex with you might be the best decision I've ever made," He informed her, smirking slightly, kissing her again.

"Mhm," She hummed in agreement, letting out a deep breath and parting from him, looking down at him. "You're happy?"

Nathan dipped his head down, pressing a delicate kiss to her stomach, grinning up at her. "I'm so happy, Haley... I want this so much."

"You know that sometimes tests are wrong..." She trailed off, looking down and biting her lip.

"This one isn't," He informed her, lifting her up off the countertop once again, holding her tightly to him, being extra careful, grinning at her.

"So, I guess we're going to be pretty busy the next few weeks," He hummed, stepping out of their bathroom into the bedroom.

"Why's that?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows and tightening her legs around him.

"We have a wedding to plan, and you know, not a lot of time," He hummed, laying her down on the bed carefully, hovering over her, his hands rested on either side of her head, holding himself up.

"Mm... I guess we'll figure it out," She laughed, pulling him down and letting out a deep breath. "We still have some time before we need to pick up Jamie. Feel like celebrating?"

"Do you even need to ask?" He questioned her, grinning down at her. "I love you, Haley. So much. I can't wait to expand our little family. I know it's soon, but I just feel so good right now."

She brushed her fingers down his cheek slowly, nodding up at him quickly. "I love you too, Nathan... Thank you for helping me be brave and for being an amazing father. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else."

"You'll never have to," He assured her, kissing her softly, offering her a small nod.

"I know that," She said, linking her fingers behind his neck.

"You don't need to be scared, Haley... Because I'm not going anywhere. I'll take care of you, almost as well as you take care of me," He chuckled, nodding at her.

"I'm not scared, Nathan. When I saw that grin on your face... There's no way I could be scared. We're having a baby," She whispered to him, nodding her head.

"That might be the sexiest thing you've ever said to me. I'm going to kiss the living day lights out of you now, maybe more," He chuckled, the same grin forming on his face.

"Well, I definitely hope there's more," She said, tugging on his shirt lightly, smirking slightly. "A week is a long time to go without this rock hard body pressed up against me, making me shudder."

"Tell me about it," He chuckled, looking down at her and letting out a deep breath. "If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, just let me know. I know you were a little sensitive with Jamie, so smack me away if something feels off. I promise my feelings won't be hurt."

She smiled, pushing her hand through his hair. "You're sweet," She responded, nodding her head. "You thought putting a ring on my finger was pushing me into a sex addict, but you just wait for these next couple of months."

He laughed, kissing her forehead, "I really can't wait," He informed her, grinning and tilting his head down, kissing her quickly.

She pushed him up briefly, "Which means no more weeks away from me, if you have a day off in between games or practices, you have to come home," She laughed, nodding up at him.

"Done," He responded, kissing along her jaw lightly. "Whatever you want, I'll agree to it. You're carrying my baby."

"Dangerous game to play, but I won't argue," She laughed, pulling him down again and kissing him deeply, allowing herself to get lost in him so easily.

She should've known that her man would've been over the moon. Even back then, it had not taken him long to warm up to the idea of being a father, and they were in a much different place now.

She couldn't help but let out a giddy little giggle as he felt his palm flatten over her stomach once again.

How could she have been so stressed about this?

They were having another baby, extending their small family of three to a family of four.


	39. Chapter 39

I don't know how I feel about this chapter. Some parts I like it, but others were difficult to write.

Chapter 39

Brooke stared at Haley, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "What the hell do you mean next month?" She asked her quickly.

Haley covered Jamie's ears, biting her lip and nodding slowly. "I mean... Nathan and I want to get married next month."

"You're a bitch, Haley James!" Brooke swore, shaking her finger at her. "You can't get married next month, I won't allow it."

"Brooke, seriously," Haley scolded her, nodding down at Jamie. She released her son's ears, kissing the top of his head. "Go watch TV while you wait for Daddy to get back with Uncle Lucas."

"I'm sorry, Haley... But that's so soon," Brooke said, looking at her and letting out a deep breath. "It's doable, of course. I am Brooke Davis, after all..."

"Good, because I don't want my dress made by anyone but you," Haley informed her, smiling and pulling her into a hug.

"We discussed later in the year though," Brooke said, hugging her back before stepping away. "Why the sudden change?"

"I just want to be married to Nathan, Brooke. We've wasted enough time, so why waste anymore?" Haley hummed, smiling over at Jamie, letting out a deep breath.

"That's sweet, Haley... But this doesn't seem like something you would do," Brooke said, eyeing her carefully, taking a step back.

"Nathan talked me into it," Haley answered quickly, "But I think it's a good idea. Later in the year we'd have to deal with his basketball schedule, but if we do it next month, we can just have a small wedding and then we can go on a honeymoon."

"Every time you and Nathan go on vacation you end up in a fight. Are you sure you want to go on a honeymoon?" Brooke joked, grabbing Haley's hand as it moved to smack her arm.

"We'll be fine," Haley scolded her, shaking her finger and smiling at her. "I know it's soon, Brooke, and I don't need anything super complex, I just want it to be beautiful. On, and white..."

"Well damn, I'll have to start all over because I thought you wanted an orange wedding dress!" Brooke joked, smiling at her and letting out a deep breath. "I can handle it."

"I know, that's why I'm still asking you to do it," Haley hummed, winking at her.

"I need to call Quinn so we can work out all the details of your bachelorette party!" Brooke cheered, grinning brightly.

"I don't want a bachelorette party," Haley stopped her quickly, shaking her head and letting out a deep breath.

"Haley..." Brooke groaned, pushing on her shoulder. "That's my favorite part of the whole wedding. Forget watching you two talk about how much you love each other. I want to watch you do body shots off some male strippers."

"Young ears, Brooke..." Haley groaned, gesturing to where Jamie was sitting.

"He's not listening, he'll be fine. Haley, you're having a bachelorette party," Brooke said, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"We'll leave that open to discussion, but I'm leaning towards no," Haley hummed, letting out a deep breath.

"I know a great place to get strippers, Haley..."

"What a great time to enter?" Nathan chuckled, stepping up behind Haley, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hey, you..." Haley hummed, turning around and wrapping her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly to her.

"Haley was telling me about how she doesn't want a bachelorette party," Brooke groaned. "And how you moved your wedding to next month?"

"Next month?" Lucas asked them, raising his eyebrows and looking between the two of them.

"Oh, yeah... I forgot to tell you," Nathan chuckled, looking down to watch Haley roll her eyes at him.

"I'm happy for you two but, um... Why?" Lucas asked, stealing Haley away from Nathan, pulling her into his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"We want to," Nathan chuckled, grinning over at Haley, sending her a thumbs up. He looked over to where Jamie was still seated watching TV, hurrying over to join him, hopping over the back of the couch.

"You two are nuts," Lucas chuckled, squeezing Haley's shoulder. "I'm happy for you, though... You guys deserve happiness."

"Thank you," Haley hummed, looking over to where her two boys were sitting, smiling brightly. "How's everything going, Luke?"

"Touchy subject, Haley," Brooke cut in quickly, shaking her head. "Don't bring it up."

"It's a touchy subject with you, Brooke," Lucas said, shaking his head. "It's going. I've sent out some more copies of my book, just trying to get it out there. So far nothing."

"Well, you just have to keep trying. It's a great book, Lucas," Haley assured him, smiling up at him, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

"That's what I said," Brooke grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"You say it differently than Haley does," Lucas responded, shooting her a look.

"Because you ask me every ten minutes if I really like it or if I'm just saying that!" Brooke argued, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Whatever, Luke... This isn't the time or place."

Haley tensed up slightly as she listened to her two friends fight, feeling a little uncomfortable at the harsh tone between them. She knew what the real reasoning behind the tension was, of course.

Her and Nathan had decided to keep the news of her pregnancy between the two of them for a little while. Part of it was because things can always happen, but a big part was because Lucas and Brooke. They'd been trying for quite awhile with no luck, and the fact that her and Nathan's baby had not been planned while two of their best friends were struggling by might not be the best news to share to them at the time.

"We're going to go," Lucas said, nodding at Haley and letting out a deep breath.

"Are you sure? You don't-"

"Yes," Brooke answered quickly, nodding at her. "I'll talk to you later, Hales," She said, letting out a deep breath. "Bye Nate, bye Jamie!" She called out, before hurrying outside.

"Sorry," Lucas said sheepishly, pressing a kiss to the top of Haley's head. "Bye guys!" He said, before heading after his wife.

Haley let out a deep breath, watching them go, shaking her head. She walked over to where Jamie and Nathan were sitting on the couch, sitting down next to Nathan.

"Hey, baby..." Nathan said quietly, kissing her head, wrapping his arm around her, watching the TV screen.

Haley curled into Nathan's side, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his neck, before resting her head against his shoulder. She smoothed her hand over his stomach lightly, brushing her toes against his calf.

He looked down at her, letting out a deep breath, a grin forming on his face. He nudged his nose into her hair, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I love you," He whispered to her.

She lifted her head up once again, leaning forward and kissing him quickly. She gripped at his t-shirt lightly, closing her eyes.

"Do you two always have to kiss?" Jamie groaned, nudging his elbow into Nathan's arm.

Haley laughed, looking over at Jamie and jumping up to her feet. She moved so she was sitting at Jamie's side, wrapping her arms around him. "What? You don't like it?" She asked him, leaning down and kissing his cheek repeatedly.

Jamie giggled quietly, shaking his head. "Stop it!" He laughed, pushing on her arm.

"My baby doesn't like my kisses anymore," She said, laying her hand over her heart in mock offense, slumping back against the couch.

Jamie let out and exaggerated sigh, leaning up and pressing a kiss to Haley's cheek, before cuddling into her side.

Haley smiled, wrapping her arm around Jamie, rubbing his arm lightly. She glanced up at Nathan, who was still looking down at her with a big grin on his face.

She rolled her eyes, laughing quietly. He'd been looking at her with the same expression a lot since they found out she was pregnant the day prior.

She rested her hand on his leg, leaning into his side. She glanced up at him again, squeezing his thigh lightly. "I love you," She whispered to him.

Nathan's grin grew, kissing her head and letting out a deep breath, "You too," he responded, his eyes shifting back over to the television.

Jamie looked up at the two of them a few minutes later, standing up and looking over at them. "Maybe we should eat dinner..." He suggested, nodding up at them.

"Maybe you should make dinner," Nathan suggested, reaching around Haley's shoulders and ruffling Jamie's hair.

"Alright, I will!" Jamie said, jumping up to his feet, hurrying off towards the kitchen. He returned a second later, holding a large bag of chips, climbing up onto the couch once again.

"That's not dinner," Haley said quickly, looking down at him and laughing, raising her eyebrows.

"All I can make," Jamie informed her, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.

"Too big, Jame..." Nathan scolded him, tapping the top of his head. "One at a time."

Jamie gave him a thumbs up, looking up at the TV, cuddling back up into Haley's side.

Nathan chuckled quietly, looking down at Haley, who looked right back at him, rolling her eyes and grinning at him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, glancing at Jamie once again, before sliding down the couch a little bit, resting his head against Haley's shoulder.

Haley kissed Nathan's head lightly, nuzzling her nose into his hair, before looking over at Jamie. "I'll let you eat two more handfuls, James. And them we have to fill you up with some real dinner."

"This is good enough," Jamie commented, grinning up at her, holding a chip to her mouth.

She laughed, eating it from his hand and shaking her head, "I probably won't let you eat this for dinner, sorry buddy."

Jamie shrugged his shoulders, looking over at Nathan, before laying his own head against Haley's arm. "So what happens when you get married?"

Haley laughed as Jamie mimicked his father's actions. She looked down at Nathan, who had practically fallen asleep on her shoulder within seconds. She looked back at Jamie, nodding at him.

"I don't think it will be very different," She informed him, resting her hand on Nathan's leg.

"It won't?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows.

Haley shook her head, "No, not really. Daddy will just wear a ring, if I can talk him into it," She joked, smiling down at him.

"You've almost gotten married before?" Jamie asked her, looking up at her.

Haley looked down at Nathan again, nodding slowly. "Uh, yeah. We have," She confirmed, clearing her throat.

"What happened?" He responded, lifting his head up and looking at her curiously.

She smiled down at Jamie, kissing his head. "We'll talk about it a different time, maybe," She told him.

Jamie looked over at Nathan, then back up at Haley, nodding. "Okay," He responded, setting the bag of chips on the ground. "Since he fell asleep does that mean we don't get dinner?"

"No, that means Daddy doesn't get dinner," She joked, ruffling Jamie's hair and smiling down at him.

"How are you going to get up when he's sleeping on you?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and getting up slowly.

Haley smiled at him, shaking her head, "I'm just going to stand up," She hummed, moving to her feet slowly, watching Nathan's head fall quickly, before lift up slowly.

"I don't appreciate that, Haley James..." Nathan grumbled, reaching forward and grabbing onto her hand.

"We're going to eat dinner, baby, you enjoy your nap," She informed him, looking down at him and winking.

"Without me?" He asked, kissing her knuckles and standing up. "It's not my fault I'm tired..." He hummed in her ear.

"Watch it," Haley warned quietly, glancing down at Jamie. "What do you say we go find something for you to eat, hm?" She asked him, grabbing onto his hand, leading him into the kitchen.

Nathan watched as she walked away, feeling a bit mesmerized by her as he took her in. A small grin formed on his face when his eyes connected with her gentle hold on Jamie's hand.

He was still in awe that they were having another child. He knew he wanted more kids, and of course, he wanted them with Haley. The time they were not together, the thought of having more kids had not crossed his mind once. It seemed like only a few weeks after they'd rekindled their relationship, the thought had popped into his head about their little family growing. Haley was the only woman he dreamed about this life with. Getting married, having a family... Growing old together. It didn't scare him. None of this scared him, because he had her to lean on, and she had him. And they both had Jamie.

He felt his heart swell as he took in the sight of Haley lifting Jamie up onto the countertop, something she probably wouldn't be able to do for much longer, because it seemed like the kid was growing every day. He watched her walk over to the fridge and pull it open, then turn and say something to Jamie.

He felt he knees go weak as he took her in, letting out a slow, deep breath to try and calm his racing heart. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the person he was supposed to spend his life with. He just wished that they would have figured this shit out five years ago, because who knows where they would be now?

"Nathan, could you come help me?" Haley called from the kitchen, her face huffing behind a cupboard door.

He took long, swift strides in order to reach there, the smile never leaving his face. "Sure thing," He responded, resting his hand on her back, looking into the cabinet. "What do you need?"

"I need some salt, and some pepper. You know, the things I use a lot so they go low in the cupboard but for some reason, they always find there way to the top shelf?" She teased him, poking her elbow into his side.

He smirked slightly, reaching up and grabbing them with ease, setting them down on the counter top. "There you are, m'lady."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, winking at him. "I haven't figured out if you just like watching me reach for them, or if you do it so I have to ask you for help." She hummed, shaking her head.

"Both," He responded, hopping up onto the counter next to Jamie, looking over at her. "What are we making?"

"Jamie specifically asked for Mac and Cheese," She said, looking over at Nathan and shrugging.

"Yum!" Jamie said, patting Nathan's stomach. "It's good for us."

"I wouldn't necessarily go as far as saying that, Jame... But it's probably better than letting you eat chips," Nathan laughed, grinning over at Haley. "What can I do to help you, Haley James?"

"Yeah, Haley James... How can we help?" Jamie asked her, grinning and crossing his arms.

Haley laughed at the two of them, walking over and kissing Jamie's forehead. "You are just too cute, kid..." She hummed, pushing her hand through his hair.

Nathan opened his mouth like he was about to argue with her, before his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, a confused look forming on his face. His eyes shifted to Haley once more, clearing his throat. "Would you two excuse me for a minute?"

"Hurry back," Jamie hummed, before looking over at Haley. "Can I add the cheese in when we're ready?"

Haley's eyes followed Nathan as he exited the kitchen, glancing at Jamie once he was gone. "Of course you can, you goofball," She hummed, pinching his side. "What do you say we out a little extra cheese in it tonight? But that means we'll have to eat more vegetables."

Jamie thought for a second, before nodding his head. "Okay, let's do it!" He hummed, reaching forward for her to help him off the counter.

Haley smiled, helping him down quickly, watching him walk over and pull out a pot to make the pasta in, hurrying over to help him.

xxxx

Haley stepped into their bedroom after Nathan had not appeared after the dinner had been finished for a few minutes.

She frowned slightly at him, raising her eyebrows up in confusion.

He sat on the bed, arms and legs crossed, his phone laying next to him, a thoughtful expression on his face. He must've been deep in thought because he didn't even glance over when she entered the room.

She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on his shin lightly, meeting his eyes. "Where's your head?"

He blew out a deep breath, pushing his hands through his hair. "I... I don't even know," He sighed, leaning back against the headboard and squeezing his eyes shut.

Haley was quiet for a moment, brushing her thumb over his shin lightly, before sliding her hand up to brush against the slick material of the shorts he was wearing. "Who was it?" She asked him quietly, biting her lip.

"Dan."

There were a dozen people running through her mind, yet for some reason, none of them were his father.

Oh, his father.

The name Dan Scott made her cringe. In annoyance, disdain, maybe a little fear, and many more.

"Yeah," He said before she could say anything else, shaking his head. "I feel like every time I talk to him I'm just left more confused than I was before, Hales... He didn't come to any of the Playoff games. He didn't even come to the finals... But now he's calling me wanting to chat."

Haley bit her lip, her eyes moving over Nathan's face, trying to decipher the emotions he was feeling, and possibly feel them along side him.

His relationship with his father had always been complicated. Always. It had been difficult for her to empathize with him, because she didn't understand it. She didn't understand why he cared that his father had not shown up to this super important game, simply because his father was horrible.

A huge part of their fallout, she blamed on their relationship with his parents. Deb was a little easier to forgive... Dan, not so much.

Dan Scott had harassed her for years. Pretty much the whole entire time she'd known Nathan, he'd been cruel.

But for some damn reason, Nathan cared what he thought. No matter how much he would argue when she said that, tell her she was full of it... He was seeking Dan's approval.

"Just say whatever it is you want to say, Hales..." Nathan said, blowing out a slow, deep breath.

"What did you talk about?" She asked him softly, meeting his eyes once again.

"He asked about you," Nathan said quickly, wiping some imaginary dust off his shorts, shaking his head.

"What did he say about me?" Haley snorted, rolling her eyes and squeezing her eyes shut.

She needed to let it go for a moment. Nathan had told her his father was making strides to be a better man, and she needed to remember that.

"He saw news about our engagement in a magazine. Congratulated me about it, said that he was happy for us. It was weird," He said, clearing his throat and chuckling.

"I can't imagine your father being happy about us being engaged, her certainly wasn't the first time," She grumbled, pulling her hair to one side, sighing softly.

"He wants to meet up with me." Nathan commented, looking down at his lap. "I don't get it, Hales... I achieved his dream and he wasn't even there to celebrate it with me, y'know? Not that I would have been happy to talk to him, because my mom was there, and you, and Luke, and Jamie... But he didn't even go to the game. He didn't even congratulate me about it," He grumbled, picking up one of the pillows and throwing it across the room. "He's trying, Haley... I wish I could just trust him."

"Baby..." Haley frowned, crawling up his body carefully, looking at him and shaking her head. "You know how I feel about him, but if you need to go see him, then go see him."

"I'm scared, Haley," He said softly, staring into her eyes and shifting slightly. "I'm terrified that he's just going to be the same jackass. I'm terrified he's going to try to pull us apart."

"He won't," She said quickly, pressing a small kiss to his cheek. "I won't let him, and you won't let him."

"Why did I have to end up with the shitty parents?" He attempted to joke, shaking his head. "I only talk to him once every three or four months, so it's not like I really know how he's doing."

She offered him a small smile, brushing her hand up his arm. "I love you?"

"That helps," He said, laughing quietly, resting his hands on her hips. "He's going to ask if he can come to the wedding, I know it."

Haley sighed, dropping her head for a second, squeezing her eyes shut. "What are you going to say?"

"No?" He asked, his voice cracking. "I mean, no... No. I'm going to say no."

She smiled slightly, looking at him and pressing another kiss to the corner of his mouth. "For what it's worth, Nathan... I'm really sorry that your parents didn't raise you the way you deserved to be raised. But I'm very grateful for the man you've become."

He flashed her a grin, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you, baby... I learned it all from you," He responded, kissing her passionately.

Haley returned his kiss for a moment, before pulling back. "Are you going to come eat?"

"I think I'm just going to sit up here and think for awhile," He told her, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

She waved her hand, climbing off of him slowly. "Don't worry about it, handsome. You take the time you need," She said, brushing her fingers through his hair. "Shout if you need me, or Jamie."

"You're perfect," He said, smiling at her. "Thank you, Haley..."

"Of course, Nathan... I'm trying to be open minded about this, okay? But please... If you're going to do anything, consult me first," She said, nodding at him.

"I will... I don't want to make any of the mistakes I made the first time around," He said, sending her a smile.

She returned his smile, kissing his head softly. "I love you, Nathan Scott. Please don't stress too much about your father, and get some rest, you seem tired," She commented, winking at him.

"Oh, you already know that I am," He laughed, smiling up at her, pushing his hand through his hair.

"Mhm," She hummed, laughing quietly. "Hey..." She trailed off, leaning down and hugging him tightly to her, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You know how I feel about your father, but you also know how I feel about you, Nathan... So if you need to talk about him, I'll listen. I can't promise I'll have nice things to say, but I'll listen."

"I can't promise I'll have nice things to say either," He joked, squeezing his eyes shut and nodding slowly. "It's all just so confusing, Haley..."

She let out a slow, deep breath, kissing the side of his neck lightly. "I know, Nathan. And I wish it wasn't. I wish things were different."

"Me too," He sighed, letting out a deep breath and leaning away from her. "Better get back to the boy, huh? I'll join you in a little bit."

She nodded her head, brushing her fingers over his chest. "Take your time," She hummed, nodding at him, before exiting the room.

xxxx

Nathan sat up quickly from his spot in bed, looking around with a confused expression, before his gaze narrowed in on Haley next to him, papers set neatly all over the bed, looking down at the binder in her lap, glasses perched on her nose.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, his voice laden with sleep, raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat.

"Hey sleepy head," Haley laughed, brushing her hand over his cheek briefly, smiling at him. "Wedding planning. I feel like the only time I can do it is when Jamie is in bed."

Nathan looked over at the clock, rubbing his hand down his face. "It's almost midnight. I've been asleep for close to seven hours. You let me sleep for seven hours?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking back down at the binder in her lap. "You looked peaceful, I couldn't wake you up."

He let out a deep breath, pulling his legs out from underneath the comforter, rubbing the back of his head. "You used me as a paper rest," He commented, picking up one of the papers.

"I needed the space," She laughed, smiling over at him. "You didn't move around too badly, don't worry."

He leaned back against the headboard, reaching over and sliding his hand over her stomach. "Should you be getting some sleep?"

She looked over at him, shaking her head. "Well, since we decided to get married next month, I don't really know if I have time to sleep," She informed him, winking at him.

"Funny," He said, scooting closer to her, sliding down so he could rest his head on her shoulder, continuing to rub his hand over her stomach lightly. "You better be joking, Haley James."

"I am," She laughed, kissing the top of his head, resting her head on his. "I'm alright for now, I'll probably go to bed in a little bit."

"Here's an idea," He began, humming lightly, "We could elope."

"I've been waiting six years for this wedding, we aren't eloping," She laughed, resting her hand over his.

"I'm only kidding, baby... You know I want a wedding too. I want to watch you walk down the aisle and know that you're going to be mine forever. I want to declare my love for you in front of all our friends and family, and let them know that we made it. It took some time, but we made it," He said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Damn straight," She hummed, grinning and letting out a deep breath. "I don't need it to be anything too fancy, Nathan... I just want it to be perfect."

"It will be," He said, lifting his head up and nodding at her. "We can tell our baby that she was there on our wedding day."

She laughed, kissing him softly and nodding her head. "We can," She hummed, looking back down at the binder, flipping through it slowly. "We're really settling down, aren't we? Took us long enough."

"No kidding. I should've married you five years ago, then maybe we'd have three or four kids," He said, smirking slightly, winding his arm around her waist.

"Oh, yeah?" She laughed, beginning to gather the papers up once again, tucking them neatly into the binder.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"I'm going to call it a night, and then tomorrow you'll just have to take Jamie to the beach or something so I can get a little more done," She hummed, carefully dropping the binder onto the floor, before saddling up next to him, throwing her leg over his, sliding her arm over his stomach.

"I can help, you know..." He laughed, kissing her forehead and holding her close to him.

"You'll have your chance, but for now I just want you to distract Jamie so I can get as much done as possible," She hummed, smoothing her hand over his t-shirt.

"Anything you want," He hummed, tracing his fingertip over her shoulder lightly.

Haley sighed softly, looking up at him and sending him a small smile. "Brooke and Lucas are having some issues, I think..."

Nathan shook his head, sending her a stern look. "Haley James, you are not going to get involved. Understood?"

She raised her eyebrows, laughing quietly. "I didn't say I was going to, Nathan! I just... I feel bad, a little bit... They've been trying hard, and well we definitely weren't trying." She sighed, tightening her grip on him.

"We don't need to feel bad, Hales," He said quickly, kissing the top of our head. "They'll be happy for us. I know them."

"I know," Haley sighed, closing her eyes. "I just wish-"

"Don't wish," He said, shaking his head. He tugged on her shoulder lightly until she was laying on her back, shifting himself onto his side. He tugged up her shirt lightly, flattening his palm over the smooth skin on her stomach. "We have a baby in there."

Her eyelids fluttered, leaning back and letting out a deep breath. "I don't know if I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that," She said softly. "Yesterday I was freaked out about it, but today it just seems to calm me down."

"You know, I secretly loved you being pregnant," He hummed, smiling over at her.

"It was not a secret, Nate..." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You would jump out of bed all to eagerly if I woke you up in the middle of the night and sent you to the store," She hummed, looking up at him.

"I'm already regretting basketball season, when I won't be here to do that for you," He groaned, shaking his head. "You make it so hard to be away from you, Haley."

She laughed, placing her palm over his hand that was resting on her stomach. "We're going to be fine, Nathan..."

"You won't be able to drive yourself to the store without waking up Jamie, and what if something happens when I'm gone and you-"

"Shh..." She squeezed his hand lightly, shaking her head quickly. "You need to go back to being the chill, laid back one, and let me worry. We can't have two of us."

He let out a deep breath, falling onto his back and sighing softly. "You're right. You'll be fine, it's not like I never left when you were pregnant with Jamie," He said, closing his eyes.

"That's right," She said, smiling over at him, picking up his hand and pressing a light kiss to his wrist. "Did you think more about your dad?"

"Do we have to talk about it?" He asked her, groaning and shaking his head.

"No," She responded quickly, sighing softly. "Honestly, I'd rather not talk about him, Nathan. But he's your father, and we probably should."

"My mom did some shitty things to me, Hales... She thought you took me from her, even though she practically abandoned me and became a drug addict. But my dad... I suffered years of verbal abuse from him," He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I still talk to him, sure. And maybe he doesn't ask me about basketball as often because he's trying to show that he doesn't care. But I'm worried it's all going to happen again, and he's going to try to talk me out of our relationship, or he's going to get manipulative with me, or even worse he'll do something to Jamie or you," He said, groaning and shaking his head. "I just don't know how I feel, because whenever I talk to him, I like him more, but I still feel uneasy."

She nodded her head, blowing out a slow, deep breath. "I don't know what to say, baby... I don't know how to help you through this."

"I know, and you hate him," He chuckled, staring up at the ceiling. "You hate him, so it doesn't matter."

"It matters, Nathan..." She said quickly, looking at him. "Because your mom has proven to me that she's changed. I trust her to be alone with Jamie. I hated your dad. Maybe I still do, but I don't really know," She said simply, squeezing his hand. "His name still makes me feel uneasy, but people can change."

He looked at her, sighing softly. "I wish I could just keep hating him, because it would be easier than trying to mend bridges," He said softly.

She nodded her head, smiling slightly. "Above all, Nathan... I love you. So I'm going to try and support you in whatever you decide to do," She mumbled, kissing his cheek lightly.

"You really are the greatest, Haley," He laughed, sitting up slowly and looking down at her. "I'm going to let you go to sleep," He said, nodding at her.

"What about you? What are you going to do?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm just going to get something to eat, shower, and then probably go back to bed," He chuckled, winking at her. "After all that sleep, I still need some more."

"Alright," She hummed, sliding under the comforter and looking up at him.

He smiled, leaning down and pressing a slow, passionate kiss to her lips.

She slid her hand up into his hair, gripping it lightly, pulling him down closer to her. She hummed in approval against his lips when she felt his hand slowly slide up her into her shirt, caressing her side lightly.

"On second thought," She mumbled as she parted from him, looking up at him. "Maybe I'll wait for you before I go to sleep."

"I was hoping you'd say that," He said, smirking slightly and standing up straight. "Ten minutes," He said, before rushing out of the room.

When Nathan walked out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist, he chuckled quietly at the sight in front of him.

Haley stretched out across the bed, her hand rested on his pillow, shirt off, but unfortunately for him, asleep.

He hummed softly, shaking his head and putting the towel in the hamper, pulling some shorts on, before moving to pick up her shirt, tossing it into the hamper as well. He shut off all the lights, walking over to the bed.

He slid onto the small space of bed there was left, since she was literally taking up the majority of it, looking over at her and smiling brightly.

"Did I rock your world or what?" She asked him sarcastically, keeping her eyes shut tightly, lifting up her arm so he could move over a little bit.

"Something like that," He laughed, scooting closer to her. He reached over and grabbed her waist, adjusting her so that he could have more room, but somehow she rolled closer to him, her head ended up right next to him on his pillow, her back to him, not giving him anymore room.

He rested his hand on her back, undoing the clasp of her bra, shaking his head and tossing it off to the side, figuring she'd be more comfortable without it on.

He smiled down at her, draping his arm over her side, pulling her back against his chest, hugging her to him.

"I love you, Sleeping Beauty" He mumbled to her sleeping form, pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear.

She smiled, pushing her shoulder back into him and shaking her head, "Don't call me that," She chuckled, before grabbing onto his hand, tugging his arm tighter around her.

"I love you, soon-to-be Mrs. Scott," He said, grinning at her.

"I like that one."

"I thought you might."


	40. Chapter 40

**Okay, I actually like this chapter. I usually like to portray Dan as more of a bad guy that screws everyone over, but I get to write a softer side of him in this chapter, which I enjoyed!**

 **Chapter 40**

Nathan stared at his father from his car. He could see him sitting at one of the outdoor tables, checking his watch.

It had been quite awhile since he'd seen him. But it felt different this time, for some reason. He felt like this conversation was going to carry more weight than the other casual, small talk conversations he'd had with Dan Scott since he decided to back off.

It reminded him of a similar lunch he'd had over six years ago with him.

xxxx

 _Nathan shifted nervously, watching his father as he talked to the waitress. This was a huge moment. This was a life changing moment._

 _After a few more seconds of staring, his feet carried him over to the table, his head spinning lightly._

 _His father stood up to hug him, which Nathan half returned, before taking a quick seat._

 _Dan commented something about him being a little under dressed for the restaurant they were in, but it had not really phased him._

 _This should be happy news. It was happy news. But it definitely would not be to the person he was delivering it to._

 _Dan ordered for him before he even had the chance to open his mouth, some food that would keep his strength up for basketball._

 _After that he almost instantly started telling him what he could do better, a lecture that Nathan had heard thousands of times, so it was standard procedure just to nod along._

 _"You're going to need to start spending more time in the gym, Nathan. College ball is a lot different than high school ball. No time for fun little dates, no time for the baggage you're carrying. I'm telling you, you should've started with your own apartment. No one to tell you when you need to be home, there's no reason to be at home, anyways. You should be in the gym as long as you can be."_

 _Nathan listened closer to the conversation, a scowl forming on his face. His dad would always slip some stupid, snide comment in about Haley. He hated it. He hated him._

 _"She's pregnant," Nathan blurted out, watching his father's eyes snap to his face, away from the food he was eating._

 _"What did you say?" Dan Scott asked him, eyebrows raised._

 _He swore he'd never heard a more menacing sound. God, he hated him._

 _"Haley is pregnant," Nathan repeated, pushing his plate away from him, clearing his throat._

 _"Where are the cameras? This must be a joke," Dan laughed cruelly, looking at him and shaking his head. "Is it yours?"_

 _Nathan was seeing red at that comment. Of course his dad wouldn't miss the opportunity to jab at that either._

 _"Of course it is, Dad," Nathan defended, sitting up straighter. "We're going to keep it."_

 _"Oh, that's great," Dan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That will take away from your time in the gym for sure. Nice work, Nate."_

 _"I don't know if I'm going to keep playing. We'll have to see what happens when the baby is born, if I need to get a job or not," Nathan told him quickly, preparing for an outburst._

 _Dan's grip tightening on the glass in his hand, taking a drink of his water, before setting it down slowly. "Of course this is your thought process. Quitting already, son?"_

 _"I'm not quitting, Dad. I just need to do whatever is best for my family," Nathan defended himself, clearing his throat._

 _"Admirable. What's next, you become a stay at home dad while your perfect little Haley does everything?" Dan asked him, raising his eyebrows. "Tell me son, how do you know she wasn't trying to get pregnant? I mean, this could either go one of two ways."_

 _Nathan snorted, crossing his arms and staring at him. "Oh yeah? And what are the options?" He asked him._

 _"One, she's either trying to lock you down because you're a future NBA player," Dan said, tapping on the table. "Her family never had much money, think of all the things she could buy with Nathan Scott tied to her."_

 _"It's not like that," Nathan said quickly, shaking his head._

 _"Worked for your mother, didn't it?" Dan asked him, smirking slightly._

 _"You used her family's money, Dan," Nathan said quickly, shaking his head. "And it didn't work for Karen."_

 _"Oh, son... Wake up and smell the roses. The girl has no interest in you, and then all the sudden you graduate high school and sign with the best basketball school in the league and she's all over you. Suspicious, isn't it?" Dan asked him, smirking slightly._

 _"No," He defended Haley, feeling his anger rise._

 _"The other option is that she actually resents you for not going to Stanford with her, so if she can't have her dream, you won't be getting yours so she got pregnant on purpose because she knew you'd step up and get a job which in turn would make you lose basketball," Dan told him, smirking slightly. "What do you think about that? Is she a gold digger? Or maybe she just wants to drag you down? I think we have a winner with this one."_

 _Nathan stared at him, his heart was thumping in his chest, his head spinning slightly out of anger. He couldn't believe his father would accuse Haley of such things... It seemed so wrong. She had been terrified when she found out she was pregnant, right?_

 _Shit, he knew Dan was wrong... He knew it. But... What if?_

 _No... No! Dan was manipulating him by making him feel guilty because Haley gave up Stanford for him._

 _"I'm just saying, son, a baby is going to hold you back from everything we've worked for," Dan said, nodding his head. "Now eat your food and listen close."_

 _"No, I'm done here," Nathan said, standing up and pulling out his wallet. "How much do I owe you for lunch?"_

 _Dan chuckled, staring up at him and shaking his head. "This is on me. I'd start saving those bills, you're going to need them when you're locked down with a wife and kid, wondering what could've been..."_

 _Nathan shook his head, turning and walking out of the restaurant. As soon as the doors closed behind him, he sprinted to his car, slamming the doors shut and resting his head on the steering wheel, breathing deeply._

xxxx

The memory gave Nathan chills. That conversation, along with others had put the seed of doubt in his mind. That day he belief in Haley, and his relationship dwindled a little bit. They'd still been strong after that, especially once Jamie was born, but that was the conversation that Nathan associated with the ending of his relationship. Sure, there had been many more lectures from Dan along the way, but Nathan believed that he never would've doubted anything about them if it had not been for that lunch on that day.

He slowly got out of his car, looking down at the buttons on his shirt to make sure they were all lined up correctly. He was confident. He wasn't a scared eighteen year old. He wasn't intimidated by his father. He was going to march up there, call him Dan and shake his hand. They weren't buddies. They were pretty much acquaintances. This was almost a business meeting. Say what he needed to say, hear what he needed to hear and get lost.

Nathan walked in the direction of his father, standing up straighter when Dan noticed him walking over, standing up.

"Hey son," Dan said, a smile forming on his face.

"Dad, hey," Nathan said, walking over and hugging him.

Dammit, that didn't go as planned.

Sure their relationship had become less hostile over the years, but he still wanted to stick it to him.

Dan gestured for him to sit down, before taking a seat himself. "It's good to see you, Nathan. You look good."

"Thanks," Nathan responded, nodding his head and tapping the table lightly. "You look like you're going gray."

"Don't remind me," Dan chuckled, smoothing his hand to cover up the gray in the new facial hair he was sporting. "It'll probably start happening to you in a few years, so I'd watch out."

Nathan chuckled quietly, nodding his head. "We'll see."

"I already ordered for you, if that's alright. Prime rib, right?" Dan said, clearing his throat and scooting his chair forward.

"Yeah, thank you," Nathan said, offering him a small smile, glancing around.

So far, so good.

"Why didn't you come to my game?" Nathan blurted out, before letting out a sigh.

Okay, he really had a tendency to blurt things out at these lunches.

So far, not so good.

He surprised himself though. He didn't think that would be his first question.

Dan looked at him in surprise, shaking his head. "Your game?"

"Yeah, my championship game. I won, you know. We won the finals. Why didn't you come?" Nathan asked him, frowning.

He hated that he was still seeking his approval.

"I didn't think it was my place to be there," Dan said slowly, looking around, at just about anywhere but his son.

"What do you mean by that?" Nathan asked him, letting out an annoyed sigh. "You came last year."

"It was different this year, Nathan. You have your family," Dan said quietly, letting out a sigh.

"I had them last year. They could've easily have been there," Nathan said, clearing his throat.

"It's a good thing they weren't, you played like crap," Dan attempted to joke, nodding at them.

Nathan let out a fake laugh, looking down at the table and sighing.

"Nathan, it was different last year. The odds of Haley being there were slim, the odds of your mother being there were slim. I expected Lucas and your son to be there, but I had already planned on staying in my own lane. But no one was there," Dan said, clearing his throat.

"You were there," Nathan said softly, looking at him. "Those seven games were the only games you went to the whole season."

Dan sighed, glancing up when the waiter walked past them, carrying food that was not for them. "Look, Nathan, I'm backing off, okay? I've been backing off, for the last couple years."

"I know that," Nathan responded, running his hand through his hair. "That doesn't stop you from calling me every once and awhile to talk to me about my games."

"I watch them," Dan said, shaking his head. "I don't understand, Nathan. You wanted me to back off, and I did."

"I wanted you to stop the pressure, Dad... I wanted you to just be my dad. Clap me on the shoulder when I lose, tell me I'll do better next game. When I win, praise me," Nathan said, shaking his head.

"That's not the guy I am, Nathan. I don't want to just slap you on the back and send you on your way. Shouldn't you know what I notice?" Dan asked him, raising his eyebrows. "So it's either nothing, or everything."

"You're not my coach. Maybe my coach will tell you the exact thing you tell me, but he's my coach and you're not," Nathan said, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I didn't come, Nathan, but you didn't exactly extend the invite either," Dan said, shaking his head and looking at Nathan.

Nathan sighed, turning his focus to the table and rubbing his neck, staying quiet for a moment.

Dan watched him, before clearing his throat and nodding, "You did well. You've done well this whole season, Nathan. I'm impressed, and proud of you."

Nathan looked up at him and sent him a small smile, "Thank you," He said softly, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry, I guess part of me was disappointed you weren't there, but I understand why you didn't come." He rubbed his neck, looking around again and sighing, "So what have you been up to? It's been awhile since I've seen you?"

"Business as usual," Dan said, nodding his head, "I met a woman."

"Really?" Nathan asked him quickly, raising his eyebrows.

"Is that unbelievable? You know, Nathan, I used to be hot stuff back in the day," Dan chuckled, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"No, no... I just didn't expect that," Nathan said, clearing his throat and shaking his head.

"Don't worry, she's not one of your high school friends. I'm not your mother," Dan grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I know! She's so... This is not a subject I want to get into. Jamie thinks it's super cool-"

Nathan stopped himself when he started talking about Jamie, tapping his fingers on the table lightly and clearing his throat. "So, you've been talking to Mom?"

"She gave me an earful after I didn't go to your game as well, then we talked a little bit about how each other is doing," Dan said, sending him a small smile. "She does seem happy though, I'll give that to her."

"Gross," Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "So, you have a girlfriend?"

"Oh, I don't know... It might be a little premature to put labels on it. When do you think is the right time?" Dan asked him, shifting and clearing his throat.

Nathan raised his eyebrows, holding back the laugh that formed in his throat. Was his father really asking him for dating advice?

"I think it depends on the relationship. I feel like..." He trailed off, rubbing his neck. "Well, with Haley, I was ready right away to make things official... But with any other girl I've dated, I kind of wanted to let things go slow, not throw out any official terms."

"I see..." Dan trailed off, tapping his chin. "Five dates in, what do you think?"

"Dad, I'm horrible at dating. Five dates is a lot," He laughed, shrugging. "I think that if you're both only seeing each other, and you continue to like each other, it's a relationship."

"Do I need to have this talk, or is it just assumed?" Dan asked him, sighing softly.

"Every relationship is different, I guess..." Nathan laughed, leaning back. "You seem nervous, Dad."

"Oh, I am," Dan laughed, looking down. "It's odd, I haven't dated in awhile. I met her while I was on a run at the beach, and we clicked."

"What's her name?" Nathan asked him, smiling slightly.

"Caroline," Dan said, letting out a deep breath. "I kind of threw myself into building up Dan Scott Motors, which, by the way, can now be found all over the country, and I forgot about living a life."

"Good job, Dad," Nathan told him, smiling slightly and letting out a deep breath. "I'm glad you're happy."

"I am happy," Dan told him, nodding and letting out a deep breath. "You're the happiest I've ever seen you as well. It glows off of you."

"I feel the happiest I've ever felt," Nathan informed him, pushing an hand through his hair, clearing his throat.

"Tell me about what makes you happy, Nathan. I know small details, but if you don't mind, I'd like to know more," Dan said, looking at him and raising his eyebrows.

Nathan looked down at the table, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck and nodding slowly, before looking back up at Dan.

"Haley and I have been together again since about last August," He informed him, letting out a deep breath. "Some things happened with Jamie that pushed us closer together."

Dan nodded slowly, looking at him and smiling slightly. "He's six now, hm?"

"Yeah, it's crazy," Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "I was happy before, but now I just... I feel like I'm about to burst. I feel like it's impossible for life to get any better, but I know it's going to. I'm on a road that goes uphill forever."

Dan smiled at his son's words, nodding his head. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Nathan cleared his throat, letting out a deep breath. "And Haley, wow... She means everything to me. It's like we picked up where we left off, except without all of the nasty arguments, but even when we do argue, I look forward to spending time with he," He chuckled quietly, looking down at the table, his cheeks tinting red as he gushed about his bride-to-be.

"How is she handling the wedding?" Dan asked him, clearing his throat.

"Well... We decided to get married next month, in about four weeks," Nathan informed him, a grin forming on his face as he kept his gaze on the table.

"Quick," Dan commented, nodding slowly and looking at Nathan. "I suppose it's overdue."

"Very," Nathan agreed with him, nodding and finally looking up. "The biggest mistake I've ever made was letting her go, and I'll never do it again."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the role I played in it," Dan said, his voice quieter now.

Nathan met his eyes, nodding slowly. He could see genuine sincerity in his eyes, and he suddenly wanted to brush it all off, and let Dan back into his life so easily, into their lives easily.

Damn, he really was constantly seeking his approval and he hated it.

"There's nothing we can do to change it now," Nathan said simply, letting out a deep breath.

"Did Jamie like school?" Dan changed the subject, smiling at him.

"Some days, most of the time when I'm home, he really hates it because he wants to stay home and hang out with me," Nathan chuckled, letting out a deep breath. "He's a great kid. I taught him how to ride a bike without training wheels, and I think he loves riding it around more than playing basketball," He hummed, hesitantly holding out his phone with a picture of Jamie riding his bike.

"He looks a suspicious amount like Lucas," Dan teased him, laughing quietly.

Six years ago, Nathan would have thrown a fit, and Dan would have been serious about his comment in an attempt to break Nathan and Haley apart.

But now, Nathan was able to laugh, because Dan was making what was obviously a joke. It felt nice to hear his father make a joke that didn't have a hidden jab at someone inside of it.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but I think Haley literally gags when people say that," Nathan laughed, showing Dan a few more pictures of Jamie.

"Handsome kid," Dan said, smiling at Nathan and nodding.

"It gets to his head," Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes and sliding his phone back in his pocket.

"As I recall, it gets to your head too," Dan laughed, winking at him.

"Like father, like son. It works in this situation too," Nathan laughed, gesturing between the two of them.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that..." Dan trailed off, before nodding. "Okay, it's the same. And I guess it goes for my father and me too," He chuckled, crossing his arms and shrugging his shoulders.

After awhile, they'd finished eating in a comfortable silence, occasionally discussing little bits of each of their lives.

Dan finally looked up at Nathan, setting his napkin on the table, a small smile forming on his face. "I want to apologize to you, Nathan..."

Nathan looked up at him, raising his eyebrows and clearing his throat. "For what?"

"For all the pressure I put on you. For all of the times I tried to ruin certain parts of your life, because I thought basketball should be your main focus," Dan began, sighing softly. "As we sat here and discussed the things that make you happy, basketball was not brought up once. And I know that doesn't mean that you don't love the game, because I know that you do. But since you fell for Haley, she's been your line of focus, and I don't know why I felt the need to change that. Maybe it was because I'd been down that road, and I let it mess up my life. But I've never had the feelings that you have for her..." He said, shifting in his seat. "I gave up basketball for me, because I was tired of my father, and you were going to give it up for your family. Thankfully, you didn't have to, but I can tell that you'd give it up in a heartbeat if you needed to, even at this point. I wish I would've seen it back then, Nathan... I wish things would've been different." He sighed, letting out a deep breath.

Nathan had to force himself to not let his jaw drop as his father spoke to him. This was something he'd honestly thought he'd never hear Dan say. Their relationship had improved, definitely, but he never expected such a sincere apology. He thought maybe it would just be swept under the rug, as all their problems had previously been. But this was a full-fledged, real apology leaving the mouth of a man he never expected it to.

"Thank you," Nathan said, smiling at him. "I really do appreciate it, Dad."

"Then maybe things would be different today," Dan said, nodding at him and letting out a deep breath. "I'd like to start taking baby steps, Nathan, if you'll let me. And unlike then, I realize that Haley is your most important teammate, so you'll need to discuss it with her. I'll accept whatever answer you give me, of course."

Nathan felt his heart sink slightly. He felt torn all of the sudden. He wanted this, for some reason. He wanted his father to be 'Grandpa Dan.' But Haley would never agree, at least he didn't think she would. She really had a disdain for Dan Scott, and he didn't really blame her. He had been awful. Calling her the wrong name, even referring to her as 'Hades' for a little while. It was horrid. But... Maybe he'd have to catch her in a good mood? Charm her a little bit to get her to consider?

"Don't give me an answer now," Dan said, waving his hand and letting out a sigh. He signed the check that was brought over to them, nodding. "I should be going. You know where to reach me, son," He said, standing up to his feet.

Nathan stood up, hugging his father quickly. "We'll be in touch," He said, nodding, letting out a deep breath as he watched him walk away.

After another minute, Nathan headed out to his car slowly, brushing his hand through his hair. He slowly got into the drivers seat, leaning forward and resting his head on the steering wheel.

Dammit.

He kind of wished that this lunch had gone poorly, so he could return home with nothing but snide remarks to let Haley know that Dan Scott was cut off.

But it had gone so well. Like... Unusually well. It seemed like he was a completely different person than the man who raised him.

Nathan let out a deep breath, turning his car on and buckling his seatbelt. He had to figure out what to do.

xxxx

The sun was almost setting when he walked back into the house. After a quick look around, he poked his head outside, finding Haley sitting in the lawn chairs, watching Jamie as he played outside.

"Hey," He called to her, stepping over, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead, taking a seat next to her.

Haley looked over at him, raising her eyebrows. "Hey. You're home a little later than I expected," She commented.

"Yeah," Nathan responded, relaxing back into his chair and watching Jamie hop on the swings, smiling slightly.

Haley frowned slightly at his attempt to brush her off, letting out a small sigh. His silence was making her uneasy, but maybe he just wanted to wait until Jamie was in bed before they discussed it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her, looking at her and smiling slightly. "You were feeling sick this morning."

"Better," She told him, reaching over and grabbing onto his hand. "Thank you."

"You can go to bed if you want," He said, glancing at his watch. "It's eight, way past your bedtime."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I've gone to bed once before eight in the last month, and that was because I had a headache, and you act like that's all I want to do," She said, smiling at him.

"You like to sleep when you don't feel well," He laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I feel alright now," She said, squeezing his hand lightly. "What have you been doing for the last eight hours?"

"I've been around," He said, smiling at her, standing up to his feet. "I'm going to play with Jamie."

"Nathan," She said, frowning and standing up slowly. "Are you okay?"

Nathan nodded, leaning over down and kissing her forehead. "Yeah, baby. I'm fine," He said, turning and running over to the swing set.

Haley frowned, shaking her head and sighing. She sat down once again, leaning back and crossing her legs.

Something was definitely wrong with him.

After a little while, she stood up once again, walking over to where her boys were. "Jamie, time for bed," She said, clapping her hands together.

"Already?" Jamie asked her, frowning and going down the slide.

"You heard her," Nathan said, sliding down awkwardly behind him, stretching out his back. "I think that's the last time I go up there with you," He laughed, shaking his head.

"But it's fun going down the slide!" Jamie argued, shaking his head. "Mommy will go up there with you next time."

Nathan looked over at Haley, smirking slightly. "Will you?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "Not tonight," She said, winking at him. "You need to take a bath, little mister."

"I don't want to," Nathan groaned, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"Very funny," Haley laughed, holding her hand out to Jamie. "Come on, you..."

"Okay," Jamie sighed, grabbing onto her hand. "Then I have to go to bed?"

"Yeah," Haley said, nodding towards the house. "Go on, chop chop." She hummed, guiding Jamie into the house, Nathan trailing behind them.

Once Jamie was tucked in bed, Haley stepped into their bedroom, letting out a deep breath. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Nathan lighting some candles, his shirt partially unbuttoned.

"What are you doing?" She asked him curiously.

"Something nice for you," He said, setting the lighter on the dresser, before walking over to her.

"Hm," She said, looking up at him and crossing her arms. "Why?"

"Why?" He repeated back to her, blinking down at her. "What do you mean?"

"What happened, Nathan?" She asked him, sighing softly.

"I love you, that's what happened," He laughed, uncrossing her arms.

She eyed him suspiciously, before shaking her head. "I don't buy it," She said, stepping away from him. "I know you, Nathan, and while this is totally something you would do just because, there's something else," She said simply.

"I'm charming you, Haley James. If you weren't pregnant, I'd get you drunk," He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It doesn't seem like it's working, though."

"Why?" She asked him, sighing softly. "Something happened..."

"Are you going to let me undress or no?" He returned, chuckling quietly.

"No, I'm not," She said, shaking her head. "Spill. Now."

"This did not go as I planned," He sighed, beginning to blow out the candles around the room.

"You were trying to charm me so I wouldn't get angry! Nathan, what happened today?" She asked him, letting out a small sigh. "It bugs me more when you avoid the problem, so just spit it out."

"I had a good time, Haley. A great time," Nathan groaned, pushing his hand through his hair, turning the lights on, and taking a seat on the bed. "I was laughing, and joking around with him. Even at his best when I was growing up, I still worried he was going to explode at me. But this was so different."

She nodded slowly, taking a seat next to him and looking up at him. "Go on," She said softly, letting out a deep breath.

"He said he wants to take baby steps in, and I want to let him," Nathan said, turning to her and shrugging. "So, yeah, I was going send you into sweet bliss, then bring it up to you when you're exhausted and sexed up," He said, sighing softly.

She nudged her elbow into his side, sighing softly. "I'm glad I caught you before you did so, because I'm not sure that would've been the right way to approach this," She sad quietly, looking down. "I need to think about this, Nathan."

"How long do you need?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows and standing up, unbuttoning the remaining buttons on his shirt, tossing it into the hamper.

"I don't know, Nathan..." Haley said, biting her lip and standing up. "But it's a big deal to me. Trust is hard to earn back."

"Speaking as someone who has had to earn your trust back, I know that..." He said softly, looking down at her. "I love you, Haley... And I'd never do anything to hurt you, or Jamie, or the little girl—or boy—that's inside of you right now, okay?"

"I know that, Nathan... But sometimes you're blinded by him, and speaking as someone who has witnessed that first hand, it's heartbreaking to see the damage he can do on you," She said, standing up and brushing her fingers down his chest. "So I need time."

"Alright," He said softly, taking a small step closer to her, resting his forehead on hers.

"You haven't kissed me since you've been home, you know..." She said, smiling slightly.

"My bad," He laughed, leaning down and brushing his lips against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you, Haley. And I appreciate you being protective of me, I really do."

"Hey, Mama has to take care of her boys," She laughed, pinching his side, kissing him again.

He smiled, hugging her tightly against him. "I like being one of your boys, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize that, Haley James."

"I know, baby..." She said quietly, stroking her hands up and down the strong muscles in his back, resting her head on his shoulder. "It was pretty relaxing just sitting outside and watching Jamie tonight, what do you say we lay outside and look up at the stars? I can tell you all the facts about constellations that I know."

"Oh, great..." He groaned, pulling a t-shirt out of the closet, sliding it over his head, before replacing his jeans with sweatpants. "Can we take a little trip down the slide?"

"Hell no," She laughed, slapping him on the butt, before linking her arm through his. "Come on, you hunk. But I will share a lawn chair with you, and you never know what might happen."

"Oh, Haley James, you pregnant queen," He laughed, nodding towards their bedroom door. "I appreciate you considering his request. It says a lot about the type of person you are."

"Yeah, well it says a lot about you too, Nathan," She said, smiling at him, kissing him softly.

"You seem to make me laugh, instead of worry. I like that about you," He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I do what I can. Ready?" She asked him, looking at the door.

Nathan nodded, gesturing ahead of them. "After you, m'lady."

"M'lady, so formal," She laughed, "Thank you," She hummed out, beginning to pull him out the door and down the stairs to their backyard.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Haley sucked in a slow, deep breath, staring up at the large beach house in front of her. She looked at the time on her phone, walking up the remainder of the driveway slowly, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.

She stepped up to the doorway, knocking on the large door lightly, before taking a small step back.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. She wanted to turn and run. She never thought she'd be standing here. Not in a million years.

She looked up when a woman answered the door, raising her eyebrows.

"Hi," Haley began, rubbing her neck. "I'm looking for Dan Scott?"

"He's outside grilling, let me go grab him quickly. You can come in," The woman said, smiling slightly and holding the door open further for her.

Haley felt her discomfort levels rise as she walked into his house, the belly of the beast. She looked around as the woman walked away. It was so odd being somewhere she promised she'd never go, but yet somehow, without asking her, Nathan had talked her into it.

It wasn't long before Dan walked into the entry way and froze in his tracks, staring at her.

"Haley," Dan cleared his throat after a moment of staring. "What are you doing here?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Haley responded, letting out a deep breath.

"Come in," Dan said, gesturing for her to exit the entry way into a large living room.

Haley did as she was told, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. She kept her gaze on the ground as she walked, sighing softly.

"You can take a seat," He said, gesturing to the couch, taking a seat in the chair placed off to the left of it.

Haley sat down on the edge of the couch, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap.

"You are one of the last people I would have ever expected to show up on my doorstep. I'd sooner expect Deb, Karen, or Keith than you," Dan informed her, sending her an awkward smile.

"Yeah, I'm not here for me," Haley said simply, glancing towards the back porch that overlooked the ocean where the woman was standing at the grill.

"My girlfriend, Caroline," Dan informed her, nodding his head and clearing his throat.

"She seems nice," Haley commented, looking down at her lap.

"I can put another steak on..." Dan began slowly, shrugging his shoulders.

"No thank you, I'm alright," Haley responded, sucking in a deep breath and shifting her gaze up to his. "I was on my way home from planning my wedding with one of my friends, probably about five minutes from home, when I suddenly found myself on the freeway, Dan, driving over here."

"How did you find my address?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"Deb told me. Nathan doesn't know that I'm here," Haley said, clearing her throat and looking at him, shaking her head. "You're eating him alive."

"What?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows in confusion. "I've hardly spoken to him since our lunch last week."

"I know. But this isn't a game, Dan. So it better not be one in your head," Haley said, her tone becoming harsher. "When you say you want to start over, that means something to him. God knows why, of course..." She said, shaking her head.

"It means something to me too, Haley," Dan said quickly, frowning at her.

"But I've seen you both go down this road before. I watched Nathan try to ruin his relationship with everyone else for you. I watched him eat himself alive, hit the weight room instead of eating lunch, because he thought that maybe, just maybe, if he was good enough at basketball, he could get a dad in the process," Haley spit out, glaring at him. "It wasn't until I was pregnant that he realized that you were full of shit, yet somehow, you still got into his head."

Dan nodded slowly, looking at her and sighing softly. "Haley-"

"No, Dan..." She trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear. "If you have any bad intentions, or if you think this could go wrong, then I want you to stay the hell away from him."

"I don't," Dan managed to get out quickly, before she began to speak again.

"He is a great man, Dan. He has his flaws, sure, but we all do. And he is the best man I know, and it's no thanks to you. You didn't try to raise a man, you tried to raise a basketball player," Haley said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Underneath his asshole exterior in high school, was someone that was broken. Someone that no one got to see, because he covered it up in parties, and drinking, and women. And you and Deb broke him."

Dan swallowed, staring at her and nodding his head slowly.

"You better mean it when you say that you've changed, Dan... Because if I find out for one second that you're harassing him again, planting seeds of doubt in his head, it will be over. I'm not going to let my relationship deteriorate. Not again," She said, glaring at him.

"Haley, there's no hiding the fact that I was just about the biggest asshole that anyone could be. And Nathan got the brunt of it, definitely. But I've changed, I really have," Dan said quickly, clearing his throat and glancing out at Caroline. "And I may have treated you worse than anyone else, because you were the first threat. The first person that made my son realize that he didn't need me, because he needed you more."

"And that's still the way it is, Dan. Don't forget it," Haley bit out, nodding at him.

Dan nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath and leaning forward slightly, looking at her.

"I don't have a high opinion of you, Dan..." Haley said, sighing softly. "I'm sure you already know that, and I don't know if that will ever change because some of the things you've said to me have made me physically sick. But I love Nathan. I love him with everything I have, and I want him to be as happy as he can possibly be," She tapped her fingers on her legs lightly. "If I find out that you're harming him in any way... You'll have to answer to me. Do you understand that?"

"I do," Dan responded quickly, nodding at her slowly.

"There were a lot of reasons that Nathan and I separated the first time, but you're one of them," Haley said, crossing her arms. "You don't deserve this, Dan... But I'm giving it to you," She said, reaching in her purse, pulling out an envelope, handing it over to him.

Dan looked down at it, opening it slowly and letting out a deep breath.

Haley smiled slightly as she looked at the item in his hand. There were pictures that she'd roped Nathan into taking on it, the back having a photo of the her, Nathan, and Jamie on it.

"This is-"

"An invitation to our wedding, yes," She said, nodding at it. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Nathan."

"Haley... Thank you," Dan said, letting out a deep breath.

She nodded, looking down at her lap for a moment, before back up at him. "I don't care if your come or not. Nathan doesn't even know I'm here, but I'm going to tell him I gave this to you. If you do happen to show up, I have some ground rules for you."

"Alright," Dan responded, nodding at her, a small smile on his face.

"Number one..." She began, clearing her throat. "Please don't talk to Jamie unless Nathan or I introduce you to him. I don't know if he'll recognize you or not, but someone will have a tight hold of him all day long, so he won't be able to run up to you."

Dan nodded quickly, looking at her and raising his eyebrows. "And, um, what are the odds of one of you introducing me?"

"I really don't know," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's obvious I don't care whether you do or don't, but I'm trying to let go of the anger. Plus, it will be my wedding day do I'll be extra sentimental."

"Alright," He said, letting out a deep breath. "I can do that."

"Please just... Don't stir up shit," Haley groaned, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Karen and Keith will be there, Deb will be there, Lucas will be there. I just feel like so much of Nathan and my's life together has been us worrying about what you're doing, and I just don't want to have to do that on my wedding day."

"I can do that too, Haley... I swear," He said quickly, sending her a smile. "This is your day, I don't want to ruin it at all. I've, um, changed my ways."

"You better not be lying, because it will crush him if you are," Haley snapped, sitting up straighter and narrowing her eyes at him. "Jamie and Nathan are my top priorities, and I don't want anyone to hurt them."

"I don't want to be the one hurting them," He responded, nodding at her. "I'm so sorry, Haley... I know that I've hurt you, and I know that I've hurt Nathan. I don't expect it to all just be perfect in one day. I just want to try."

"And Nathan wants that too," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Okay, my last rule is..." She pointed at the invitation in his hand, smiling slightly. "It says to be there at eleven, but what I really mean is that everyone needs to be there no later than 10:45, got it?"

Dan chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, I can do that one," He told her, letting out a deep breath. "Can I bring a plus one?"

Haley glanced outside, making eye contact with the woman who was looking in their direction, before looking back at Dan. "I don't see why not."

"Alright. Thank you so much, Haley," Dan said quickly, nodding at her and gesturing for Caroline to come inside. "This is the woman that I've been seeing for to little while."

"Oh, um, I don't need to-" Haley began, before he cut her off.

"No, go ahead and meet her, please," Dan said, looking over when she walked inside, standing up.

Haley stood up as well, suddenly feeling even more uncomfortable than she already had been. Now she was stuck in Dan Scott's home, meeting his girlfriend. Weird.

"Caroline, this is Haley. Haley, Caroline," Dan said, clearing his throat and gesturing between the two. "Haley is my son Nathan's bride-to-be."

Caroline set the good on the counter of the open kitchen, before turning and walking into the living room, shaking Haley's hand. "Hi Haley, it's nice to meet you."

"Nathan and Haley have a son together, the one I showed you some pictures of," Dan informed her, smiling slightly.

"Oh, right! The little blonde cutie," Caroline said, smiling at her.

"Jamie, yeah. He doesn't usually like it when I call him a cute little blonde boy," Haley laughed, sending her a small smile in response. "I really should get going though. I have a little bit of a drive home, and Nathan doesn't even know I'm here."

Dan nodded at her, letting out a deep breath. "Alright, alright. May I walk you to the door?"

"Yeah, sure..." She trailed off, looking at Caroline and adjusting her purse on her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too, Haley. Thank you for stopping by," Caroline responded, nodding and heading into the kitchen.

Dan led Haley over to the front door, clearing his throat and looking down at her. "Thank you, Haley. Thank you for the invitation, and thank you for taking care of not one, but both of my sons."

"They're my best friends, I do what I can," Haley said softly, looking up at him and letting out a deep breath. "Please don't make me regret this."

"I'll do my best," Dan told her, pulling open the door. "Have a safe drive home."

"Thank you," She nodded at him, stepping outside and letting out a deep breath. She headed towards her car, not bothering to cast a last glance over her shoulder at Dan as she left.

Haley got in her car, pushing her fingers through her hair and turning it on quickly.

Great. Now all she was going to think about the whole drive home was how much she hoped this had not been a huge mistake, or potentially ruined their wedding.

She pushed the call button on her car, before telling it to call Nathan. She listened as it rang a few times, before he picked up the phone, his voice ringing throughout the car.

"Hey baby," Nathan said, clearing his throat.

She felt better hearing his voice. It reminded her of why she did what she just did.

"Hey, you... I'm on my way home," She informed him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm about an hour away, though. I needed to clear my head, take care of a few things."

"Is everything alright?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it when I get home, okay? Do you want me to pick up anything for dinner?" Haley asked him, smiling slightly.

It was quiet for a second, before he answered.

"No, Jamie and I are making cookies, so we should be alright," He said, laughing quietly.

"Oh, okay," She laughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Alright. I will see you in a little bit."

"Sounds good. I love you, babe. I'll see you soon, drive safe," He said, letting out a deep breath.

"I love you too," Haley responded, before hanging up the phone. She let out a small sigh, willing the time to go by quicker.

xxxx

Haley stepped into the house through the garage door, tossing her purse onto the counter. She smiled at the slightly overdone cookies on the counter, picking one up and taking a bite out of it. Even with the crispy edges, they still tasted pretty good. Not a bad dinner.

She looked to the stairs when she heard laughter. She smiled slightly, walking up the stairs slowly, finding them in Jamie's room, laying on the floor, putting together a puzzle.

She stepped up behind them, pressing her foot into the center of Nathan's back, looking down at him.

"Hey! I didn't even hear you come in," Nathan said, grinning up at her.

"Hey, Mama!" Jamie said, waving at her, before shifting his gaze back down to the puzzle.

Nathan stood up slowly, smiling at her. He leaned down, pressing a brief kiss to her lips, his hand moving to rest on her stomach. "Mm, you taste like our amazing cookies."

"Mhm," She responded, raising up the half eaten cookie in her hand. "Nice job."

He took it from her, shoving it in his mouth and winking at her.

She laughed, resting her hand on Nathan's neck, before smiling down at Jamie. "Did you two have a great day today?"

"The best!" Jamie responded, looking up at her and sending her a thumbs up. "Did you finish the wedding?"

"Almost," Haley said, brushing her thumb over Nathan's skin, looking up when he swallowed the cookie in his mouth.

"Jimmy Jam, Mom and I are going to go talk for just a second, and then she can help us finish this puzzle," He told his son, resting his hand on Haley's shoulder. "We've been working on it for almost two hours."

"No, we got into a fight and had to take a break!" Jamie told Haley, shaking his head.

"Hey, tattle tale, we agreed not to tell her that!" Nathan laughed, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, we'll be right back."

"Okay," Jamie said, turning his focus back to the puzzle.

Haley laughed, leading Nathan out of Jamie's room, into their room. She turned to him, standing on her toes and kissing him lightly. "Hey."

He swoops his head down and presses a kiss to her lips that leaves her weak in the knees and wanting more.

"Hey," He says, guiding her over to the bed, sitting down and tapping the spot next to him. "Is everything okay? Did something happen while you were planning the wedding?"

"No," She assured him, resting her hand on his leg. "Okay, Nathan..." She let out a deep breath. "I went to Dan's house."

Nathan's up to his feet in a second, despite the pressure she put on his leg to try to keep him sitting, looking down at her like she was crazy. "You did what?"

"Your mom gave me his address, and I went to his house and invited him to our wedding," Haley said, rubbing her neck and looking up at him.

"To our wedding?" He choked out, staring down at her. "Isn't this something you should've talked to me about first?"

"Yeah, maybe. But, Nathan... You would've said no for my benefit. But I know you want him there. I told him he's not allowed to stir up trouble, and he's not allowed to talk to Jamie unless one of us is introducing him," She said, sending him a small smile.

"I can't believe you did that, Haley..." Nathan said, running his hand through his hair and letting out a deep breath. "I don't need him there. I just need you there, and someone that can marry us, but most importantly, you."

"I know, but both of my parents are going to be there, and I figure if your dad is going to start playing nice after all these years, then why not just let him come so we don't regret it later?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

Nathan sat down next to her, grabbing onto her left hand, brushing his thumb along the ring there. "I love you, Haley... You didn't need to do that. I would've been fine."

"I had some things I needed to get off my chest too," She said softly, shaking her head. "If he hurts you one more time, I'm done. There will be no turning back for me, and I mean it."

"I don't care what happens to me, Haley, but I won't let him hurt us," He said, cupping her cheek and letting out a deep breath. "Are you sure about this?"

"No, absolutely not. But if our kids have the chance to have two sets of loving grandparents, instead of just mine and a Nanny Deb, then that's what I want for them," She said, kissing him softly. "And I want you to have your father, if he can be your father."

"You're too good for this world, Haley James..." He told her, brushing his thumb along her cheek, leaning forward and kissing her once again.

Haley kissed him back, gripping his shirt lightly, before pulling away. "There is one more thing I want to talk to you about."

"Okay," He responded, leaning down to kiss her again, being met with her hand stopping him.

"I was trying to think of a way to make our wedding special, besides the obvious fact that it's us getting married. I mean, we found out about the baby before the wedding, which kind of takes the cake away from that," She laughed, trailing her finger down his arm. "And I think I've come up with something."

"Okay?" He said, raising his eyebrows and looking down at her.

"What if we don't have sex until we get married? Starting now," She suggested, trying to gage his reaction.

"I hate that idea," He answered quickly, sliding his hand up her leg.

She smacked his hand away, shaking her head. "Come on, Nathan... It will be special."

"Every time is special," He informed her, laughing quietly.

"It's not as special when you hop into bed next to me, push my legs apart and say 'Okay, let me get in and out so I can go to bed' is it?" She asked him, laughing quietly.

"Well, no... But..." He groaned, looking at her and sighing. "Fine."

"Great! Good luck," She laughed, winking at him and standing up.

"You're the one with pregnancy hormones, I should say good luck to you," He responded, smirking slightly and pulling her down into his lap, placing a heated kiss against her lips.

"Oh," Haley groaned, before jumping up quickly and shaking her head. "Don't make this hard for me."

"You're already making it hard for me," He said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Nathan!" Haley gasped, pushing on his shoulder until he laid back against the bed, turning to walk out of the room.

Nathan watched her walk away, licking his lips and letting out a deep breath. She was definitely moving her hips more than she usually did when she walked. So cruel. This had been in place for about thirty seconds, and he was already struggling.

"Hey, Haley... When you said starting now, you meant like... Tomorrow, right?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Haley looked over her shoulder, winking at him and nodding her head. "Of course. We have to go out with a bang, and then start fresh tomorrow."

"Oh, how I love you."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Brooke, I really can't tonight..." Haley said, clearing her throat and looking down at the shots that Brooke had just laid down on the table.

"Haley James, I understand that you're getting married tomorrow, and trust me, I won't let you get so drunk that you'll have a hangover," Brooke whined, picking up the shot and touching her glass to Peyton's, then Quinn's.

"Come on, Hales, live a little..." Peyton hummed out, winking at her. "This is your last night of freedom."

"Yeah, it is, but I'd still like to make some smart decisions," Haley laughed nervously, shifting in her seat and letting out a deep breath.

"Ah, to hell with smart decisions," Quinn laughed, tilting her head back, pulling a face as the liquid burned her throat. "I can't believe my little sis is getting married tomorrow."

"I can't believe it's to Nathan," Peyton chuckled, shaking her head. "If you would've asked me ten years ago if I thought Nathan Scott was ever going to get married, I would've laughed in your face."

"Me too," Brooke said, nodding and scooting another shot closer to Haley. "Come on, Hales, you said something small, so I only invited myself, and your other two favorite people."

"You should have invited Taylor, that would have forced her to drink out of frustration," Quinn laughed, nodding her head. "Or my mom could've given her wedding night advice."

"She clearly doesn't need it, I mean, Jamie wasn't dropped off by a stork," Brooke responded, laughing quietly.

Haley shook her head, laughing at the comments and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not drinking, Brooke, I'm sorry," She said, pushing the shot forward, glancing over in her sister's direction.

Shit. Maybe her gaze lingered on her sister's eyes too long, because it was almost like a look of realization passed through her.

Quinn reached forward, picking up the shot in front of Haley and downing it quickly. "Hey, at least this means she can drive us all home."

Brooke sighed, looking at Haley. "I'll try again later, soon to be Mrs. Scott," She said, tapping her fingers on the table, looking over at Quinn. "So let's talk about you and Mr. Hot Agent Man."

"Clay," Quinn laughed, grinning at her.

"I think Mr. Hot Agent Man suits him better," Peyton cut in, raising her eyebrows and shrugging her shoulders.

"He is the best," Quinn said, touching her face. "I feel myself blushing just thinking about him. He's charming, self less, and he constantly makes me laugh with his little quirks. I just love him, y'know?"

Brooke gasped, looking at her, "So the 'L-word' has been tossed around?" She asked her, leaning forward.

"Pretty quickly, actually," Haley added in, winking at Quinn. "Almost overnight."

"Okay, it wasn't that quick," Quinn laughed, smiling over at Haley.

"So, do we hear another James wedding in the near future? Or am I going to have to start taking bets on you, Taylor, or one of your siblings' kids?" Brooke asked her, laughing.

"The future is the future, Brooke," Peyton said, pushing on her arm. "Quit being so nosy."

"Hey, Haley-" Quinn stopped the conversation, looking over at her sister. "I think I need to put on some more lipstick, and mine is in your purse. Will you come with me?"

Haley nodded her head slowly, following Quinn out of the booth, glancing down at Brooke and Peyton who had started arguing.

Yeah. Quinn definitely knew.

After trying to come up with some type of excuse as to why she wouldn't be drinking on her way to the bathroom, she came up with nothing.

Quinn grabbed onto her wrist as they got closer, hurrying into the bathroom and ensuring that the stalls were empty, before turning to Haley.

"You're pregnant!" Quinn stated, raising her eyebrows and looking at her.

"I, um..." Haley looked around, trying to force the large smile off her face. "Yes, I am."

"Dude!" Quinn smacked her arm, grinning at her. "Why didn't you tell me? Who knows?"

"Nathan," Haley said, clearing her throat and shrugging her shoulders. "We found out right before we decided to have a short engagement."

"Haley! This is great," Quinn said quickly, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's great, right?"

"Yeah, of course, we're both over the moon, honestly... We're just keeping it a little quiet at the moment. With the wedding happening, and we don't want anything to happen, and well..." Haley trailed off, sighing softly.

"Brooke," Quinn finished, nodding at her. She shrugged at Haley's questioning gaze. "We've done quite a bit of talking recently, trying to make sure you have the perfect wedding and all."

Haley nodded, biting her lip. "Honestly, I probably would've told her by now if they had not been trying for a year," She said, sighing softly. "I know she'll be happy for me, I know that."

Quinn grinned at her, pulling her into a tight hug, "She'll be happy for you. I'm so happy for you!" She said, squeezing her lightly. "I can't believe that you're pregnant."

"It seems so surreal..." Haley said, holding back the grin that was forming on her face. "Everything seems to be falling into place. Nathan and I are finally getting married, Jamie is getting what he's always wanted, and I'm pregnant on top of it? Amazing..."

"It really is crazy if you think about it, last year you hated Nathan, and then it was like a light switched on in both of your heads," Quinn said, smiling and looking at her.

"Hate is a strong word," Haley scolded her, shaking her head and laughing quietly. "I could never hate him, he gave me Jamie."

"My point is, you two had a bumpy road ahead of you, and you somehow smoothed it out and now you're freaking pregnant, Hales!"

Haley's gaze whipped towards the door as she heard a gasp and saw the shocked face of her best friend standing there.

"You bitch!" Brooke exclaimed, staring her down.

"Brooke, I-"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Hales!"

"Tell you what?" Peyton asked as she poked her head in behind Brooke.

Brooke completely ignored Peyton's question, rushing forward and wrapping Haley in a tight hug.

Haley was stunned for a moment, before she felt herself let out a breath she didn't know that she was holding, and hug Brooke back, a smile forming on her face.

Of course Brooke Davis wasn't mad at her. She was a saint, who had not had a selfish thought in years.

"I'm so happy for you, Haley..." Brooke whispered, holding her tightly. "You and Nathan really deserve this."

"Thank you so much, Brooke," Haley responded, biting her lip lightly. She felt tears well in her eyes at her friend's words, because really... She wanted this so badly for Brooke too.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Haley!" Brooke said, parting from their hug and poking her shoulder. "I don't want to strangle every woman that is pregnant, you know."

"I know, but I also know how hard you and Lucas have been trying and I really didn't want to do anything to upset you because when we were in that fight a little while ago it made me feel horrible. I just want you to be so happy, Brooke and I feel so-"

"Stop," Brooke commanded, holding up her hand and smiling for her. "I'm happy for you, Haley. There's nothing that could make me not happy for you."

Haley bit down on her lip again to stop the tears that once again threatened to spill from her eyes, nodding her head slowly.

"You're pregnant?" Peyton asked, looking between the three other women in the bathroom.

"I am," Haley responded, letting out a deep breath and smiling. "But, um, Nathan and I agreed not to tell anyone until after the wedding, so if you could all..."

"We won't tell a soul," Quinn said, squeezing Haley's shoulder and smiling at her.

Peyton pushed her way through the crowd, hugging Haley tightly. "Congrats, Hales!"

"Thank you," Haley said, grinning at her and nodding her head. "It's been eating me up not telling you guys, honestly. You're my best friends."

"We'll keep it on the down low, the last thing you need is people telling you this was a shot gun wedding," Brooke joked, winking at her, a big smile still pinned to her face.

Haley laughed, hugging Brooke once again, feeling much more relieved than she'd felt all night with the girls trying to shove drinks down her throat.

"Now come on, let's go back out there so I can drink all of your drinks," Brooke said, releasing Haley, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her out.

xxxx

Haley tip toed into her and Nathan's bedroom, shoes in hand. She smiled at his sleeping form sprawled across the whole entire bed, laying on his stomach.

She sent a quick glance to the time on her phone, it being just after one.

She stepped into the bathroom to take a quick shower and to finish getting ready for bed.

As soon as she walked out, a towel wrapped around herself, she noticed that Nathan had now propped himself up, a very tired look in his eyes as she watched her walk around the room and get dressed.

He slid back down under the covers as when she laid down next to him, his arms immediately shooting out to wrap around her and hold her against him, his face nuzzling into her neck.

"Hey," She whispered, smiling at him and pressing a kiss to his head. "Surprised the shower woke you up, you're usually a pretty heavy sleeper."

"I missed you," He mumbled, kissing her skin lightly, letting out a content sigh, before departing from her, stretching out across the bed once again.

She laughed, running her fingers through his hair and nodding, "I missed you too," She informed him.

He let out a small hum to let her know that her response pleased him, shifting so that he was laying on his stomach once again.

She rubbed her fingertips along his back for a moment, looking over at him and letting out a deep breath. "I told them tonight."

"I knew you would," He replied, shrugging his shoulders and yawning quietly.

"You did?" She asked him, frowning slightly.

"It's not very often that you all hang out, but each of those women can get you to tell them almost anything. All three? Recipe for disaster," He chuckled, blinking his eyes open and looking up at her.

She laughed, kissing his cheek lightly. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care, Hales. It's our baby, we can tell whoever we want about it," He informed her, smiling slightly.

"What did you do tonight?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Once Jamie went to bed we invited a bunch of strippers over and let them have their way with us," Nathan said, clearing his throat and smirking slightly.

"Jackass," She responded, pushing on his shoulder lightly.

"Kidding," He laughed, shifting onto his side once again. "Honestly? We just played basketball and video games with Jamie. Swam in the pool and took turns throwing him around. We tried to see if we could fit him through the hoop by the pool, so we had the spend a little time getting him out."

"Nathan," She groaned, shaking her head. "Don't tell me these things."

"He had fun. We let him stay up way too late, so he's going to be grouchy tomorrow," He informed her, shrugging his shoulders.

"You would make him a grump, because you don't have to sit here and deal with him tomorrow," She said, pushing on his chest lightly.

"Hey," He frowned, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. "This is the last time I have to leave before we get married, remember?"

She nodded, leaning forward and kissing him lightly. "I love that," She said softly.

"Love what?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"That we're getting married," She responded, pushing her fingers through his hair.

"I'm just excited to have sex again," He said, nodding at her, smirking slightly.

"Babe," She groaned, letting out an annoyed sigh. "You ruined my moment."

"I'm sorry," He laughed, leaning closer to her, pulling her body against his. "I can't wait to marry you."

"Whatever, you're excited to go spend more time with your boys and have a real bachelor party with Clay and your teammates," She grumbled, cuddling closer to him.

"No way," He said, looking at her. "The next thing I'm looking forward to is watching you walk down the aisle."

She smiled at him, letting out a deep breath, letting her her hands wander around his torso, biting her lip lightly.

"How did they take our news?" He asked her, looking at her and smiling.

"Quinn figured it out, Brooke walked in while we were talking about it and Peyton was with her. Brooke was really happy for us, thankfully. She did hit the drinks a little harder, but she kept telling me over and over again how happy she was," Haley said softly, nodding at him.

"That's really good. Do you think they'll spread the news or do you want me to tell?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows.

"I think we should just sit tight for a little while," She informed him, sliding his hand from her waist down to her stomach.

He nodded, closing his eyes and yawning. "I'm tired," He said softly.

"Go to sleep then, baby," She laughed, raising her hand to his ear, fiddling with his ear lobe lightly.

"I need you to stop touching me," He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

She laughed, pushing him from his side to his back, pressing herself into his side and resting her head against his shoulder.

"Not exactly what I meant, but whatever you want," He hummed, kissing her forehead and pulling her closer to him.

Haley stroked her hand down his stomach lightly, fiddling with the waistband of his shorts, a mischievous grin pinned to her face.

"Stop it right now," He said, meaning for it to come out as more of a powerful statement, but instead it sounded like more of a whine.

"Am I not allowed to feel you up a little bit?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"No," He complained, pushing her hand away. "I'll go sleep somewhere else. Don't tease me, Haley."

She laughed, pressing a kiss to his chest before wrapping her arm around him, burrowing into his side. "Oh, because you don't spend fifty percent of your time here trying to get me to break with your wandering hands, and shirtless body. You know that if I slept shirtless, you'd be throwing a fit, don't you?"

"Yeah," He responded, shrugging his shoulders. "I have an idea. What if we go to sleep instead?"

She looked at him, laughing quietly and nodding her head. "Okay, fine... I think I can handle it."

"Only a few more days until we're married," He reminded her, smirking slightly.

She grinned at him, turning his head and kissing him deeply, before laying back against his chest. "Hell yes."

"I can't wait to be Mr. Haley James."

"Go to sleep, Nathan."


End file.
